JULY

Success with succulents

Ovarian Cancer Survivors gather for a group photo at the 2019 Jodi’s Race for Awareness. The event last year took place virtually, and the 2021 Jodi’s Race for Awareness, which is the 12th anniversary of the run/ walk, offers both a virtual and in-person event. The in-person event takes place on June 12 at Denver’s City Park. The virtual event allows participants to do the race anywhere, then livestream the Jodi’s Race Virtual Bash celebration, which will be emceed by Denver7’s Jaclyn Allen, at 10 a.m. June 13. Jodi’s Race is an educational event and fundraiser for the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance. To learn more about the alliance’s programming, visit www.coloovariancancer.org. To register for the 2021 Jodi’s Race for Awareness, visit www.jodisrace.

org. COURTESY OF COLORADO OVARIAN CANCER ALLIANCE

We promise them — and you — that we will work hard Succulent plants have fascinated gardeners for many decades and this trend shows no sign of slowing. ere are many attributes that make them a great choice Now some tips to keep your plants healthy and happy. Keep in mind these are generalizations and are not to take the place of looking up individual plants for speci c details. is no one good mix for everything. I take regular bagged topsoil (about 50%) and add ingredients like charcoal, perlite, sand and gravel (the other 50%) to “chunkify” it to my liking. Rot is another problem you need to act on right away. Pull the rotting plant out of the soil, cut o the rotted portion at least a half inch past the rot. Put rooting hormone on the wound and expose to sunlight for a GUEST for Denver, and although e general timeline that frost-sensitive Watering: e best advice I can give couple days. Once the wound has sealed, COLUMN delving into growing them can be frightening, I’m plants can be grown outside in Colorado is from Mother’s Day to early October. When is, when in doubt, do without. is is the hardest thing I struggle not to do — 18 place the plant carefully back into soil. Some stems may need to be braced until Scott Preusser here to give you the 411 on it’s time for the plants to edge your nest, years into collecting. I love succulent plants they grow roots again. making them thrive as you they must be carefully acclimated to bright- and I still tie a ribbon around my nger to Lastly, buy plants from reputable nurserimpress your friends and er light or they will scar, burn or worse. One not love them to death. For plants grown ies and garden centers who employ a trained neighbors. good trick is to put them in partial shade outside, I water thoroughly one time per horticulture sta . I guarantee you will get Let’s rst go over a few de nitions and under a tree or under a shade cloth. Try to week. e cycle of soil moisture should look better plants and advice, and the plant will ground rules. Technically speaking, a suc- increase the light steadily for about a week. something like this: totally wet for one day, have a name tag. culent plant is any plant that has the ability Containers: Keep it tight and pack it full medium moisture for three-to-four days Spend time with your plants and pay to store water for later use. Generally, they of plants — it will be easier and prettier. I and almost totally dry for two-to-three days. attention to changes — they will tell you want a lot of light and a little water. I know, like pots that are more wide than deep. Times of Trouble: ings to look for everything you need to know. Don’t give up easier said than done. For me, keeping the Soil: Bottom line is to just make it drain that will require immediate action are even if you kill a few. I sure have and that’s Denver Botanic Gardens’ indoor collection good without too much organic matter. things like stretching or discoloration. If how I’ve learned to do it right. of succulent plants from around the world Succulents would much rather have lean, your once nice, tight red plant is stretchrequires diligence, attention to detail and, of fast-draining soil than that rich chocolate ing in every direction and turning green, course, my trusty old crystal ball. cake you grow your other plants in. ere it needs more light and possibly less water. Scott Preusser is a horticulturist with the Denver Botanic Gardens

Kniech

Improving Denver’s waste diversion rate

Improving Denver’s waste diversion rate by increasing recycling and composting use throughout the city remains one of my major priorities. About 75% of Denver’s waste is recyclable or compostable (25% recycling, 50% compostable), yet the city’s recycling and composting rate hovers around 23% — far below the national average of 34%. Volume-based pricing for trash is a national best practice that incentivizes more recycling and composting. Residents are provided with free recycling and composting services and are then charged according to how much trash they throw away. Nearly 40% of residents in the United States use volume-based pricing. Locally, nine Front Range cities have successful volume-based pricing programs to provide fair, coste ective trash services, and those cities have much higher recycling rates. Increasing Denver’s waste diversion rate through volume-based pricing would result in lower greenhouse gas emissions, conservation of natural resources, less need for land lls, reduction of air and water pollution, and the creation of private sector jobs to process the materials. I am actively working with our partners across the city to imagine what a volume-based pricing program could look like in Denver, and to engage our community in how we can all be a part of the change our planet needs to thrive.

By improving building e ciency, reducing waste and investing in necessary climate infrastructure, the City of Denver is helping protect our climate, quality of life and our economy.

We welcome your ideas on how we can continue and improve our response to climate change. Please email my o ce at kniechatlarge@denvergov.org or call 720337-7712 with your thoughts.

Robin Kniech serves as an at-large member of the Denver City Council

lished. You can also prune branches that impact the structural integrity of the tree.

Be deliberate about what you prune from a tree.

It’s important to prune around stop signs and to ensure sidewalks are clear to prevent accidents on or near your property. Stop signs should be clearly visible and sidewalks free of obstructions. e clearance requirements in Denver are 8 feet above sidewalks and 13.5 feet above streets and alleys. late in the dormant season or early spring, before leaves form. is is typically a good time to remove excess or undesired branches because the tree is not putting forth energy to create foliage.

Certain trees, including American elm (Dutch elm disease) and fruit trees in the rose family ( re blight) should only be pruned while dormant to reduce the spread of disease.

Only prune a young tree two years a er it has been planted and just focus on dead, broken, crossing and interfering branches.

Colorado has a very short growing season compared to other regions. A shorter growing season means the tree has a shorter period of time to create and store energy, which ultimately a ects how quickly a tree can recover from pruning. A young established tree can tolerate removal of 0ne-third of its foliage in a growing season. A mature tree should never have more than 25% of its live foliage removed in one growing season.

If you are pruning something o your tree that you can’t reach from the ground, it’s advised that you hire a tree care professional since they use specialized equipment such as an aerial li truck/bucket truck and they have the needed eld knowledge and expertise. In the City of Denver, tree contractors are required to be licensed and insured. A list of Denver’s licensed tree contractors can be found by visiting https://www.denvergov.org/forestry.

If you suspect an insect problem, contact a tree care professional to develop the most e ective and environmentally conscious solution.

Covering a wound or using wound dressings is not recommended and may be detrimental to tree health.

Want to learn more?

Our friends at e Park People o er a community forester program with classes that cover a variety of topics, including pruning and tree planting basics. You can sign up online at https://theparkpeople. org/What-We-Do/Community-ForesterProgram.

Happy pruning!

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, Historic Denver, Inc. is o ering a new program to further explore the city.

Called the Capitol Crossroads Hunt!: A City-Wide Scavenger Hunt, the event challenges participants to follow a series of clues to learn more about Denver’s key downtown historic places.

Capitol Crossroads takes place June 1720.

“ e story of Denver is an interesting one,” said Alison Salutz, director of community programming for Historic Denver. “Capitol Crossroads is an innovative way to get people out exploring the city.”

Each clue in the scavenger hunt leads to another location for a total of 10 destinations. e hunt is done digitally, with participants checking in on their mobile device to receive the next clue. ough the name of the scavenger hunt says city-wide, the hunt itself takes place in central Denver — all locations can be accessed by foot or bike from each other. e rst clue will provide suggested parking instructions within the general area of the rst destination.

It is recommended to assemble a team of four-to-six people for the scavenger hunt, but it can be done as a pair or individually. e estimated time it will take to complete the scavenger hunt ranges between about two-and-a-half to four hours, but participants can also do it throughout the four days if they prefer, Salutz said.

However, the rst 50 people to complete the scavenger hunt will receive a nisher medal. Prizes will also be awarded to the teams with the fastest completion time, best team spirit photo and outstanding history bu s.

People do not need to be an expert on Denver or its history to have fun on the scavenger hunt, Salutz said. Most people, no matter their expertise on Denver, will likely learn something new, or at least experience a Denver location a little di erently.

“All the clues highlight a places and buildings with an interesting past,” Salutz said. “ e goal is to engage the people who know a lot about Denver, as well as those who want to learn more.”

e clues will be able to be solved in a variety of ways — some may need to be Googled, others can be solved by simply observing your surroundings, and still others may require an educated guess, Salutz said.

Complementary to Capitol Crossroads is a new podcast called e Bright Lights of Denver, which is presented by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts O -Center in partnership with Historic Denver. e podcast is a work of ction, but its characters will interact with some of the sites highlighted in the Capitol Crossroads scavenger hunt.

Historic Denver got its start 50 years ago with an e ort to save the Molly Brown House from demolition. e Molly Brown House was built in 1889 and is known for being the home of Titanic survivor Margaret “Molly” Brown. e e ort was a success, and the Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania St. in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, opened in March 1971. at fall, Historic Denver, which is a nonpro t, formally organized to continue serving the city as an urban historic preservation organization.

“Historic Denver’s success over 50 years, fueled in large part by the Molly Brown House Museum, has upli ed the stories of our city and made this a community with a distinctive identity,” Salutz said. “In this spirit, we will continue to engage with our communities as they tell us which places, from their experiences and neighborhoods, should be stewarded for future generations.”

The Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania St., is Historic Denver, Inc.’s fl agship property that led to the nonprofi t’s organization in 1971. One of the ways that Historic Denver is celebrating its 50th anniversary is by putting on Capitol Crossroads: A CityWide Scavenger Hunt in June. COURTESY OF HISTORIC DENVER

Historic Denver’s Capitol Crossroads: A City-Wide Scavenger Hunt takes place June 17-20.

Registration is required to participate in the scavenger hunt. Cost is $18 for adults and $12 for children. Member discounts apply. Additionally, anyone who registers by June 10 will receive 10% off when they enter the coupon code FINDHISTORY at checkout. Proceeds benefi t Historic Denver. To

learn more about Historic Denver, or to register online, visit www.historicdenver.org. Registration for the scavenger hunt can also be done via phone by calling 303-832-4092 ext. 16.

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Master’s Degree in 18 Months Graduate Certificate in 6 Months Non-Credit Personal Enrichment Professional Development Courses New podcast gets listeners investigating Denver

By Clarke Reader

Special to Colorado Community Media

In many cases listening to a podcast is a passive activity — something people listen to while exercising, sitting in the car or doing chores around the house.

But “ e Bright Lights of Denver,” a new podcast sponsored by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Powered By O Center program, is a show that gets the listener involved.

“ e Bright Lights of Denver” tells the ctional story of aspiring novelist-turnedjournalist Ryan Streeter, who starts out studying the history of the Mile-High City and suddenly nds himself investigating the sudden disappearance of a friend.

Created by Kenny Moten and Jessica Hindsley, the four-episode series will make its fully-produced world premiere in June. e project is one of two selected out of 39 entries by the Powered By O -Center program. e other is “Don Quixote de Auraria,” created by James Lopez, Jenny Filipetti, James Brunt and omas Vincent in collaboration with Gregorio Alcaro. It has been optioned for future development.

Launched in 2018, Powered By O -Center is a residency program for local artists that culminated in two fully-supported workshops at the DCPA, said Charlie Miller, O -Center’s curator. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was adapted to propose safe theatrical experiences that could be fully produced at the DCPA in June.

“ e goal has been to inspire new ideas, build new creative partnerships and contribute to Colorado’s local artistic ecology,” Miller added.

Among the requirements for this year’s entries into the program were to be theatrical at its core, put the audience at the center of the story and be able to run for at least a month and accommodate at least 1,000 audience members through the run.

“Of all the projects proposed, ‘ e Bright Lights of Denver’ best met all our selection criteria,” Miller said. “It tells a compelling story and explores issues very relevant to Denver today. And it provides exciting opportunities for the audience to get out into the world and engage with the characters and the story.”

Audiences don’t just listen — they can interact with the characters through their Instagram accounts and connect with other fans of the show on the Bright Lights Facebook group. ere will also be two Zoom question and answer sessions with the main characters, and QR codes will be placed around the city on the ground outside every key location that the characters visit in the podcast. Scanning these QR codes with your phone unlocks additional parts of the story that help solve the mystery, according to Miller.

“` e Bright Lights of Denver’ is a great story and an intriguing mystery. But it is also much more than that,” said Miller. “Real interviews with city o cials and local experts are woven through the episodes as the main character explores serious issues confronting Denver — the growth of the city, the lack of a ordable housing and gentri cation.”

LEARN MORE

To get more information on “The Bright Lights of Denver” podcast, visit www.denvercenter.org.