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General Site | Neighborhood Park | Spring Creek | Bike Trail | Parking | Building Description | Garden Descriptions
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Building Entrance
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A prominent feature of The Gardens is an attractive building that initially includes a greenhouse, an entry/display area, offices, a classroom (built with privately raised funds) and restrooms. A future construction phase will add a conservatory (for an indoor display garden), a community meeting room, and a teaching kitchen. It is unknown as to when this second phase of building construction will occur, as it is dependent upon the success of private fundraising. All current and future rooms are described in more detail below.
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Entry Area
The entry and display area, about 600 square feet in size, is used to greet and orient visitors. It includes the reception desk, educational and orientation materials and displays, and a work station and storage for the Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek.
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Greenhouse
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Volunteers enjoying their work
in the greenhouse
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The greenhouse is a 1,400 square feet room with five objectives: (1) to provide horticultural opportunities in a public setting for volunteers and class participants, (2) to generate revenues for programming at the Gardens on Spring Creek, (3) to grow vegetables and cut flowers, year around, to compensate volunteers, (4) to demonstrate to those with residential greenhouses, sun rooms and sunny windows, the diversity of plants that they could grow on their own, and (5) to grow vegetable and flower starts that are later planted outdoors on the site. The greenhouse environment is controlled with state-of-the-art computer controls and a weather station.
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Front Range Community College
landscape design class
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Evelyn Clark Classroom
The 900 square foot classroom is named in recognition of a $60,000 donation from Francis Clark, in memorial honor to his wife, Evelyn Clark. Large enough to seat 30 people classroom style (with tables) and 50 lecture style, the classroom is used for a host of workshops and classroom activities for all ages. It includes a flexible design of sinks, counter space, and cabinets stocked with horticultural and craft-related supplies. This is the indoor space for the community to gain "dirt under your fingernails" knowledge and experience with all sorts of horticultural tasks, year around. The classroom is adjacent to the greenhouse, to conveniently extend the educational opportunities of this area. Furthermore, the room's exterior door will provide easy access to the outside "living laboratory" of the nearby Experiential Garden and Children's Garden (see below). It is available to the public for rental.
Rental information (PDF)...>>>
Conservatory (2nd Phase of construction)
A primary feature of the second phase of construction for the building is a 2,000 square foot conservatory to attractively enclose a permanent indoor display garden. This will provide a year-round setting for visitors to experience a lush, fragrant, and colorful garden environment. The warmth and moisture of this space in the winter will be an especially welcome retreat for visitors. It will feature a variety of Mediterranean, sub-tropical, and other plants adapted to the various microclimates within the conservatory, planted directly in the ground and in attractive containers. The space will be enhanced with a water garden, meandering pathways, and benches to sit and enjoy the experience. The conservatory will offer not only renewal and pleasure, but also education on how to successfully grow indoor plants in one's home.
Meeting Room (2nd Phase of construction)
The Garden's meeting room will be used not only for horticultural-related meetings and presentations, but also for a variety of public and private social events. This room will help to address the extreme shortage of meeting room space available for renting in Fort Collins, and it will do so with beautiful architecture and views. The room will have an open and sunlight-filled feeling, with the conservatory and greenhouse visible through the south. The view to the north will be of the courtyard, Great Lawn and surrounding colorful gardens, with the forested Spring Creek corridor in the distance. There will be an attached 140 square-foot teaching kitchen, suitable for culinary classes or for use by a caterer. At 1,200 square feet, the room will be large enough to hold about 65 people with theater-style seating and 40 people with classroom-style setup.
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