October 27, 2026
In my last post I shared Gardens of the West at Chatfield Farms, a branch of Denver Botanic Gardens. Today I’ll share Chatfield’s older gardens. At 700 acres, this working farm nestled in the foothills of southwest Denver offers a lot to explore, including gardens, fields, and trails.
Like most public gardens these days, it also offers several wedding/event venues, like the gazebo lawn pictured above, enclosed by a perennial border.
During my August visit, it was full and flowery with late summer color.
I always stop to admire conifers, and there are so many here in Colorado.
Red barn
I line danced at this event barn during the Denver Garden Fling in 2019. Seeing it again brought back fun memories.
An overflowing container by the door welcomes visitors.
Colorado native plant garden
Behind the barn is Chatfield’s native plant garden featuring all-Colorado natives, like Apache plume…
…’Blue Mist’ caryopteris…
…yellow coneflower…
…and other western prairie natives.
The red barn makes a bucolic backdrop.
Frothy white flowers — I can’t remember what this plant is. Does anyone know?
A historic silo in the garden speaks to the agricultural history of the area. ‘Gateway’ Joe Pye weed echoes its rosy stone construction.
More ‘Gateway’ Joe Pye weed
A single red sunflower
Soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca) adds starburst-shaped foliage to the meadow garden mix.
Banana yucca (Yucca baccata) has thicker, sword-like leaves.
Sunflowers lean like cowhands on a fence.
Salvia azurea glowing in midday sun
Prairie garden view
Woodland garden
Heading back to the entrance, I passed through a woodland garden where leopard plant flowers in dappled shade.
Moody blue containers were brightly planted with tropicals for summer.
Grand old trees tower over the garden.
In a sunny glade, a lily pond adds the beauty and habitat of water.
American plum
A barn-shaped bee hotel offers habitat for solitary bees while staying on-theme for Chatfield.
Play fort
Along one trail I heard kids playing and found a play fort with a crow’s nest for lookouts.
Chatfield has trails I didn’t have time to explore but hope to one day. I’m making a mental note to get back out there next spring.
For a look back at Part 1 of my visit to Chatfield Farms, including a crevice garden, labyrinth, lavender field, and prairie gardens, click here.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
__________________________
Digging Deeper
“Gardens of Texas is not your typical door stop/coffee table book filled with beautiful images of gardens you can never hope to achieve. The photography is definitely inspiring, but Pam’s thoughtful, detailed storytelling and “Try This At Home” features…makes one feel empowered to create similar garden magic….This is what I’ll curl up with on late August afternoons when the mercury in Austin soars and I’m stuck indoors.”
–MomInAustin, a reviewer on Amazon
Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State is here! It’s for anyone who loves gardens or the natural beauty of Texas. Find it on Amazon, other online book sellers, and in stores everywhere. More info here.
All material © 2026 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
