That time at the Denver Botanic Gardens when I saw a volunteer rip out a 'weed' that was actually a rare native milkweed seedling.

It sparked a huge debate for me about whether public gardens should prioritize curated beauty or ecological preservation, even if it looks messy to some visitors.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_barbara12d agoMost Upvoted

That line about "curated beauty" really gets me... Public gardens are supposed to be for the plants, right? Not just for pretty pictures. If they call themselves a garden, especially a botanic garden, they have a duty to protect native species. A little mess is how real nature works. Pulling a rare milkweed for looks is just missing the whole point.

angelab6212d ago

Guess they missed the "botanic" part of their job title.

valgibson4d ago

It's like they think "botanic" is just a fancy word for "lawn." The whole point is to show off plants, not just a tidy patch of grass. Maybe they need a dictionary along with their gardening tools.