Botanical Garden
An Inspired Landscape for a Resilient Future
With the Flatirons rising dramatically behind it, the Demonstration Gardens at the Front Range FireWise Botanical Garden are more than just beautiful—they are visionary. Designed to showcase the powerful intersection of landscape beauty and wildfire resilience, these gardens will become a living work of art that draws in visitors, supports pollinators, and teaches critical lessons in firewise design.
Whether you're a homeowner looking for inspiration, a CU Boulder student pursuing Environmental Design or Environmental Studies, or simply someone who loves the natural world—these gardens are built for you.
Where Beauty and Purpose Meet
The gardens will bloom with color, texture, and life—layered with firewise perennials, cold-hardy succulents, native grasses, and flowering shrubs that are both resilient and radiant. Every plant is chosen not just for its aesthetic value, but for its ecological role. Together, they form a vibrant ecosystem that supports biodiversity, nourishes pollinators, and reduces wildfire risk.
In fact, by applying the firewise design principles demonstrated here, homeowners can reduce the risk of their property being ignited by a wildfire by 40–80%.
All of this is framed by the iconic beauty of the Flatirons, offering a setting so striking that visitors will return again and again
—bringing family and friends to share in its wonder.
A Living Lab and Community Beacon
The Demonstration Gardens will serve as a dynamic living laboratory for CU Boulder students and researchers. From studying plant behavior and fire-adapted systems to exploring pollinator pathways and drought-tolerant planting schemes, students will find hands-on opportunities to connect their coursework to real-world ecological solutions.
But these gardens are not just for academia—they are for everyone. Families, gardeners, educators, tourists, and event planners will find meaning and beauty in this thoughtfully curated space. Designed with community at its core, the gardens will inspire homeowners undertaking firewise landscaping projects and provide a breathtaking venue for events and gatherings.
A Destination Like No Other
Alongside the Flatirons and Chautauqua Park, the Front Range FireWise Botanical Garden is poised to become one of Boulder’s premier destinations. By year five, we project that more than 65,000 people annually will explore its paths, learn its lessons, and fall in love with its vision.
At the heart of it all will be a Visitor Center showcasing an array of subtropical, firewise, and drought-tolerant plants from around the world—providing interest through every season and reminding us that resilience and beauty are not mutually exclusive, but deeply intertwined.
Help Us Bring It to Life
The Demonstration Gardens are not just a vision—they are a call to action. With your support, we can build a place that protects our homes, educates our youth, uplifts our spirits, and honors this incredible landscape we call home.
Let’s plant something powerful together.