• Pam Cress, Special to The Denver Post

    Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, chair of the Denver Botanic Gardens board, and Erin Bird.

  • Pam Cress, Special to The Denver Post

    Whitney and Carlos Trujillo, left, with Becky and Brian Schaub.

  • Pam Cress, Special to The Denver Post

    From left, Robert Kessler, Kattia Cambronero, Dan Eaffaldano and Lisa Kessler.

  • Pam Cress, Special to The Denver Post

    Michelle and Stacey Campbell were among the 550 guests.

  • Pam Cress, Special to The Denver Post

    Tim and Marianne Sulser chaired Fete des Fleurs.

Three years ago, when Tim and Marianne Sulser moved here from Texas, one of the first things she did was visit Denver Botanic Gardens.

"I'm a big gardener and I came here for inspiration," she said. "Denver Botanic Gardens is an amazing place."

Not only did she draw inspiration for her own garden, the Denver attorney also became an active volunteer at the DBG. In late August, she and her husband, the co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Salt Creek Oil and Gas, chaired its signature fundraiser, Fete des Fleurs.

The 550 guests arrived as the summer sun was setting, peeking through a quickly dissipating cloud cover to create a magical glow over the seasonal blooms that were in their glory.

"It's amazing how rain has frequently threatened the (largely outdoor) party, but clears up just in time," observed Betty Lynn Jackson, a past chair of the fundraiser.

Jackson and her husband, Dennis, were part of a contingent from the Denver Debutante Ball, whose 2016 chair, Missy Eliot, rallied enough committee members to fill three tables at Fete des Fleurs. Proceeds from the ball go to Denver Botanic Gardens and since 2012, each class of debutantes has completed a community service project there.

After enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the Oak Grove and Monet gardens, guests were seated for dinner in the giant tent that sits at the top edge of the DBG's concert amphitheater. The floral arrangements and chandelier that graced the tent's interior were the handiwork of a committee whose members include several who belong to the prestigious Garden Club of Denver.

Brian Vogt, the DBG's chief executive officer, and Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, chair of the board of trustees, joined development director Johanna Kelly in welcoming supporters new and old, folks like Jocelyn Ege and Samantha Thompson, who will chair Fete des Fleurs 2017; Pete and Marilyn Coors with son and daughter-in-law Peter and Meredith Coors; Brooke and Tom Gordon, whose Iselo Investment Partners is developing the luxury River Row Homes at DriveTrain in the River North Arts District; Amy and Jon Bentz (she's with Nexus Greenhouse Systems, which built the DBG's greenhouse); and Adam Agron, co-managing partner of the Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck law firm, with his wife, Katie

DBG trustees at the event included state Rep. Rhonda Fields; BJ Dyer, president of Bouquets; Mary Lee Chin and her husband, Jim Wagenlander, Colorado's honorary consul for Mongolia; Richard Clark and his wife, June, whose guests included Makoto Ito, Japan's Consul General in Colorado; Charlie and Karin Woolley and Christina Caulkins, an ex officio member of the DBG board, with her husband, George.
Others who stayed on to participate in the after-party that opened at 9 p.m. in the Oak Grove were Lauren and Bo  Brownstein; Kelly and John Eisinger; Ed and Meg Nichols; Heather and Mike Miller; Brooke and Jon Erik Borgen; Hugh Rice and Mary Schaefer; Kelly and Matt Stava; Heidi and Michael Hammell and Nancy and Tim Buese.

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, partiwriter@hotmail.com and @joannedavidson on Twitter