Denver Botanic Gardens is one of the most quietly remarkable botanic gardens in America, a 24-acre collection that has developed an international reputation for research into high-altitude and water-wise horticulture. The Denver Botanic Gardens were established in 1951 on land adjacent to Cheesman Park — land that had been, like the park itself, part of the old City Cemetery — and the collections have grown into a resource that is both scientifically significant and visually extraordinary. The gardens' particular strength lies in their focus on plants of the Rocky Mountain region and the world's other high-altitude and arid environments: the Rock Alpine Garden, with its collection of high-altitude plants from the Rockies, the Andes, and the Himalayas, is one of the finest alpine gardens in the world.
The water-wise demonstration gardens reflect Denver's essential situation: a city of 700,000 in a semi-arid climate where the ornamental traditions of wetter climates must be rethought. In summer the gardens host an outdoor concert series with performances ranging from bluegrass to indie rock held among the plantings as the Rocky Mountain evenings cool.