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Ask CSU Extension Anything: Keeping Dead Perennial Plant Stems for Insect Nesting

| Colorado Native Insects, Colorado Native Plants, Flower Interest, Uncategorized

QUESTION: Do I need to keep dead perennial stemsfor three years in order for them to be of benefit topollinators?ANSWER: While it seems like “new” information, the three-year timeline for perennialstems is derived from the life cycle of stem-nesting pollinators. Your first reaction might be,“Three years!,” but it isn’t as dramatic as it would seem—you […] Continue reading "Ask CSU Extension Anything: Keeping Dead Perennial Plant Stems for Insect Nesting"

Garden Thugs

| Colorado Native Plants

By Deb Lebow Aal Jonathan Sciarcon in his article “Consider Rewilding Your Yard with Aggressive Native Plants” has made a great case for strategically placing what he calls aggressive native plants, and what I call garden thugs, in your yard. I heartily agree with his arguments and have a few more to add to the […] Continue reading "Garden Thugs"

Consider Rewilding Your Yard With Aggressive Native Plants

| Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Jonathan Sciarcon Based on online posts in the Colorado Native Plant Gardening room on Facebook and in-person conversations with Wild Ones members, it appears that most gardeners, even ones who advocate planting native plants, want well behaved flora in their yards or gardens. This makes sense as many gardeners’ aesthetic preferences tend towards some […] Continue reading "Consider Rewilding Your Yard With Aggressive Native Plants"

Colorado Native Plant Gardening Myths Take 3

| Uncategorized

By Deb Lebow Aal Thanks to Kristine Johnson for her assistance on this article. A few years ago, we published two articles on Colorado native plant gardening myths. They were wildly popular, and the issues discussed in those articles still surface when talking gardening, so, they bear repeating. I am updating the original posts with […] Continue reading "Colorado Native Plant Gardening Myths Take 3"

What native vines could help cover a chain link fence?

| Uncategorized

This question and answer are part of our Ask CSU Extension Anything (About Native Plants) series. We appreciate CSU Extension for answering these questions to expand our community’s knowledge of native plant landscaping. Send us your questions to the Ask CSU email account. FULL QUESTION: I am looking for suggestions for native vines that will […] Continue reading "What native vines could help cover a chain link fence?"

Rainwater Harvesting

| Climate Change, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Sustainability, Uncategorized

By Kristine Johnson The Front Range is the dry boundary of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. In Boulder, Colorado, where I live, we receive about 20 inches (51 cm) of precipitation per year, peaking in late Spring. One problem with gardening in this relatively arid environment is that many Colorado residents moved here […] Continue reading "Rainwater Harvesting"

Plant ID Apps

| Uncategorized

By Karen Vanderwall Probably like many of you, I regularly have the desire to identify plants. Sure, I do know how to key out plants. I have a multitude of plant guides and gardening books. But I often enjoy taking a few moments in my own garden to quickly identify a plant. Other times I am […] Continue reading "Plant ID Apps"

Native Plants for Hummingbirds

| Colorado Native Plants, Flower Interest, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Uncategorized

By Kate Hogan* I started my home garden native plant conversion back in 2015 – I foolishly decided to attempt to replant my entire front and back garden beds to exclusively Colorado and New Mexico native plants while on maternity leave with my second child, which happened to be September of that year.  We had […] Continue reading "Native Plants for Hummingbirds"

I Know You Want To Water Less

| Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Sustainability

By Deb Lebow Aal In July, 2021, we reprinted an article from Harlequin Gardens on tips and tricks to water less. We’d like to highlight some of those tricks, again, add to them, and update some ideas from that article. That article focused on the advantages of xeriscaping your landscape; we’ve moved away from that […] Continue reading "I Know You Want To Water Less"