Hudson Gardens
Encyclopedia
The Hudson Gardens 30 acres (121,000 m²) are non-profit botanical garden
s located along the bank of the South Platte River
, at 6115 South Santa Fe Drive in Littleton, Colorado
, USA
. They are open 365 days a year, with no admission fee from November through April.
The Gardens began in 1941 as the private garden of Colonel King C. and Evelyn Leigh Hudson, and became public in 1996. They contain varied grounds ranging from high, dry prairie
to river wetland
s, and feature plants that thrive in the dry Colorado
climate. The gardens include: Conifer Grove, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Deciduous
Woodland, Demonstration Garden, Fragrance Garden, Garden Canopy, Herb
Garden, Iris
Bed, Mary Carter Greenway, Ornamental Grass
Garden, Oval Garden, Rock Garden Canyon, Rose
Garden, Santa Fe Garden, Secret Garden, Shade Garden, Water Garden, Wetlands, Wildflower
Meadow, and a Xeriscape Garden.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s located along the bank of the South Platte River
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
, at 6115 South Santa Fe Drive in Littleton, Colorado
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are open 365 days a year, with no admission fee from November through April.
The Gardens began in 1941 as the private garden of Colonel King C. and Evelyn Leigh Hudson, and became public in 1996. They contain varied grounds ranging from high, dry prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
to river wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, and feature plants that thrive in the dry Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
climate. The gardens include: Conifer Grove, Cottage Garden, Cutting Garden, Deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
Woodland, Demonstration Garden, Fragrance Garden, Garden Canopy, Herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
Garden, Iris
Iris (plant)
Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...
Bed, Mary Carter Greenway, Ornamental Grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
Garden, Oval Garden, Rock Garden Canyon, Rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
Garden, Santa Fe Garden, Secret Garden, Shade Garden, Water Garden, Wetlands, Wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
Meadow, and a Xeriscape Garden.