Can Colorado Native Plant Gardens be Beautiful?
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Q: I read a lot about planting natives but they are difficult to find and not always that attractive, especially as a small plant in a pot in the nursery. How can I be environmentally responsible and still have a beautiful landscape?
A: In recent years native plants have garnered more and more interest for the home garden. Their resilience in local soils and climate and their unmatched value for wildlife, from fungi to insects to birds and other wildlife, is an important consideration in the home landscape.
However, straight species aren’t always suited to introduce into existing home landscapes, both culturally and aesthetically. So today’s breeders are introducing garden-ready native varieties and cultivars (Nativars) that adapt to a wider variety of environmental conditions with tidier habits, longer-lasting blooms or showier flowers and foliage. This helps natives move into the mainstream, managing ecological integrity while bolstering beauty and performance.
Modern breeders are creating showier or reblooming perennials like hummingbird mints (Agastache), foamflower (Tiarella), tickseeds (Coreopsis) and coneflowers (Echinacea), as well as annuals, trees, shrubs and vines. These nativars are bred for better flower power and increased pollinator value, helping to bridge the gap between traditional and native plants.
Colorado’s Plant Select program, www.plantselect.org, is an invaluable resource and the country’s leading brand of drought-tolerant plants for the high plains and intermountain regions. Plus, Plant Select plants are easy to find in local independent garden centers and nurseries.
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Read our Q & As with Keith Funk answering common Colorado gardening questions here. See his website: gardenwiseguy.com and hear him on the
