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front range foothills
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Posted by sluice z5b CO (My Page) on Sun, Jan 22, 12 at 12:47
Juniperus scopulorum in Mt. Olivet Cemetary, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
I previously posted this pic about a year ago. At the time, bboy raised the possibility that it may be a named cultivar.
Recently, I came across this story written by Scott Wilmore, relating the discovery of Juniperus scopulorum 'Gray Gleam', excerpted from The History of W.W. Wilmore Nursery.
The residence for the inventor Scott Wilmore matches the location of the cemetary (Wheat Ridge, CO).
According to the story, Scott Wilmore and Bob More were scouting in Mt. Vernon Canyon.
Here is an incredible photo, looking down Mt. Vernon Canyon, toward Denver (Library of Congress, December 1942).
Just a few years before they found that tree.
The road is U.S. Highway 40, constructed on the north side of the canyon in 1937.
The conifers appear much as they do today, J. scopulorum, P. ponderosa, and P. menziesii.
With sparser coverage along the southern-facing part of the canyon, and more dense coverage along the northern-facing slopes (where more snow moisture is retained, due to shade).
Now a pic from yesterday, looking up Mt. Vernon Canyon toward the west.
Here you can see Interstate 70, which was opened in the early 1960's. It runs along the old Hwy 40.
Juniperus scopulorum
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: front range foothills
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| Great stuff, Nate. Thanks. tj |
RE: front range foothills
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| Nate, Always enjoy your travel logs and interesting commentary. The 40-41 Chevrolet convertible is also a nice addition. Dave |
RE: front range foothills
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| thx... i did not read the patent .... so forgive me if i ask some stupid questions ... are you suggesting that that is the original plant in the last pic .... and are you suggesting he planted one in the cemetery??? how old do you think the cemetery one is???? thx again ken |
RE: front range foothills
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| Nate, you did a great job giving us the background info of this very nice conifer, thanks! |
RE: front range foothills
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| Nate, what a beautiful story about that conifer. I really love reading the history about plants. I too like the old photo with the antique car. Thank you for sharing. |
RE: front range foothills
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| TJ, Dave, Ken, Edwin, and Ladylotus, glad you enjoyed. Ken, nothing special about the plant in the last pic, it's just representative of the junipers in this area.
I don't know if Wilmore planted the one in the cemetary, but he had a nursery in the same town. Maybe sold trees to the cemetary?
Don't know how old the cemetary one is, but might be able to make a guess as to when it was planted. Stay tuned on that one! Here's another one from the same cemetary. Platycladus orientalis
Back to the foothills now, here's a few more pics from the place near where we hiked, the Dakota Hogback.
Juniperus scopulorum and Pinus ponderosa, typical of the hogback near Denver.
 Juniperus scopulorum and Pinus ponderosa, typical of the hogback near Denver.
 Juniperus scopulorum and Pinus ponderosa, typical of the hogback near Denver.
 Soil analysis
 Looking north toward the Flatirons, there is the the city of Golden.
Pinus ponderosa and Juniperus scopulorum
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RE: front range foothills
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| Boy, sluice, that sticky clay on the shoe looks familiar, especially since that wonderful snow cover we enjoyed for a couple of months has melted. I've been more sliding around than walking. It's a good illustration of why we're tempted to amend our soil along the front range. Great pics, as always! |
RE: front range foothills
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Ken, I'm guessing that juniper is around 75 years old, give or take.
Went by the cemetary today, and the tombstones near the juniper had dates from 1940 to 1943.
This assumes the juniper was not more than a few years old when it was planted (at about the same time the tombstone was set).
And probably rules out the possibility that the juniper is Gray Gleam, which was found in 1945. Here is a newer part of the cemetary, with smaller conifers.
 Yea, Barb, the joys of clay!
I suspect all who garden in heavy clay eventually come to terms on how to deal with it.
For me, copious amounts of amendment goes a long way toward maintaining my sanity.
 Clay, it's the pits!
 Now, a few more pics from the weekend excursion. Junipers, and Mt. Vernon canyon
 Thrush? along the Dakota Hogback, with pinus ponderosa and juniperus scopulorum.
 Juniperus scopulorum cones
 Pinus ponderosa cone
 South Table mountain, and the city of Golden. The athletic fields are at the School of Mines.
 A little higher up, another view of South Table, with Denver in the distance.
Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii
 South Table again.
Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii
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RE: front range foothills
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| "Thrush? along the Dakota Hogback, with pinus ponderosa and juniperus scopulorum" Yep, a thrush; American Robin Turdus migratorius. Resin |
RE: front range foothills
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In Western Europe we've the Turdus merulus which is a causin of the Turdus migratorius.
In the past I had several mutations of these blackbirds in my aviary and I breeded these with a great success.
Breeding European birds mutations was a hobby of mine before I started with conifers...
Turdus merulus
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RE: front range foothills
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| Now isn't that cool, a bird breeder. Dax |
RE: front range foothills
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Breeding birds is as cool as cultivating conifers.
The big difference is that we can multiply conifers at the time we want, birds doesn't do that, they don't let them forced and all will be done in a natural way. Just like conifers, there are also bird mutations but I guess there will be another forum for those... |
Here is a link that might be useful: blackbird mutations
RE: front range foothills
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| South Table mountain, and the city of Golden. The athletic fields are at the School of Mines. That's amazing, the mountain and then the epic flatness forever. Great thread Sluice! |
RE: front range foothills
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| Thanks Resin and Coniferjoy for the bird info! Severnside, glad you enjoyed! This is Clear Creek canyon, just outside of Golden.
Juniperus scopulorum, with a few Pinus ponderosa on the ridge
 Here's North Table mountain, companion to South Table.
Mesas formed by lava flow. If you look close, you can see a few Juniperus scopulorum up there.
 It's a good place to hike, with views of the Denver area.
Juniperus scopulorum near the rim.
 Juniperus scopulorum on North Table
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