Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
Strolling garden centers is one of my favorite things to do. Whether it’s the outdoor patio at a big-box chain or an independent shop full of kaleidoscopic flowers, I want to get the full blast of the natural beauty offered within.
I mostly shop for modest, climate-adjusted ground cover (my jam, given my yard’s xeriscaping) but occasionally choose ostentatious flowers and landscape anchors. My wife is the target market for dozens of varieties of tomatoes, and I’ve been known to pick up a fairy garden supply or two. I love it all this time of year.
City Floral Garden Center is my neighborhood spot and, fortunately, it’s one of the best I’ve seen in this region. (Boulder’s sustainability-focused Harlequin’s Gardens is wonderful, too.) There’s a reason it’s lasted since 1911, making it Denver’s oldest continually operating greenhouse — and not simply because it’s been able to resist an alarming increase in costs over the last few years. (RIP Paulino Gardens and Groundcovers Greenhouse & Garden Center, which both closed in 2019.)
When I went hunting for fairy garden accessories — we call ours a hobbit garden — with my son last summer, we got agreeably lost in the crowded rows of leafy green, their “walls” brushing gently against us as we browsed a botanic oasis. It was so captivating that I forgot to look for tiny bridges and chairs for my Middle Earth tenants.
The role that City Floral plays in Denver is clear, especially in the nearby Park Hill, Mayfair and Congress Park neighborhoods just off East Colfax Avenue. It’s the biggest and best garden center in this area (I live in Northeast Denver, only 2 miles away), and its secondary nursery in Golden gives it a leg up on those that rely on outside suppliers.
Weekend mornings during growing season show the reliance people have on the place.
Visitors navigate blinker-light cars for constant pickup orders — proud baby trees, palettes of earthy mulch you can smell from a block away — as pedestrians stream by. The intoxicating scents, sights and smart, detail-oriented staff justify the place’s historic spot as Denver’s oldest garden center, with a whopping 113 years on the scene. It has evolved in that time from a flower house to a shrub nursery and an equipment center, a veggie-starter paradise and an informal education in low-water plants.
There are fun surprises, too. My son stumbled upon a life-sized, metal statue of Bigfoot in an outdoor area as we looked for native grasses and planters, his frozen mug peeking around a corner. Cats will brush by at odd intervals. An employee told me some dad jokes that made my son’s face turn gray as I cackled. (I’ll spare you them.)
As with any vacation destination, I always look forward to going to City Floral and seeing what’s new — making it all the more satisfying when I return home with some goodies from my trip.
City Floral Garden Center is at 1440 Kearney St. in Denver. 303-399-1177. Place an order and see online tips and growing resources at cityfloralgreenhouse.com.
