Category: Colorado Native Plants

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

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

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

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"

Native Plants for Hummingbirds

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

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"

2024 Denver Pollinator/Native Plant Swap & Giveaway — It’s a Very Successful Wrap!

On June 22, 2024 the Fourth Annual Denver Pollinator/Native Plant Swap & Giveaway Event was held between 10am – 1pm with sunny skies and warm temps reaching 90°F.  We appreciate the estimated 700 participants, including volunteers and families, who attended despite construction hassles, lines and heat. 2024 Denver Pollinator/Native Plant Swap & Giveaway at 11:30am […] Continue reading "2024 Denver Pollinator/Native Plant Swap & Giveaway — It’s a Very Successful Wrap!"

Time for Coloradoscaping to Replace Xeriscaping

By Richard Phillips In the dry steppe environment of eastern Colorado, for years we have been directed to reduce the water consumption of our landscaping by using the Xeriscaping guidelines developed and promoted by Denver Water, since the 1980s. These concepts have been so ingrained in our gardening ethic, that I see them referenced in […] Continue reading "Time for Coloradoscaping to Replace Xeriscaping"

Consider Native Sedges in Your Landscape

By Jonathan Sciarcon Sedges are “grass-like plants” in that they have skinny green stems, but they are not grasses. Sedges, unlike grasses, are in the Cyperus (Cyperaceae) family, have solid, triangular stems (occasionally round). They are not jointed or hollow like grasses. When looking at the stem, you can see the leaves are in three […] Continue reading "Consider Native Sedges in Your Landscape"

Wild Ones Front Range Chapter Plant of the Month: Pinus aristata (Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine)

By Pam Sherman Why should we pay attention to this astounding tree? Character, for one. The Colorado Tree Coalition advises landscapers: “Plant as a single species in a rock garden or other well-drained site. It is not a formal looking tree. It develops ‘character.’ Can be trained as a bonsai.”  Second, bristlecone provides watershed and […] Continue reading "Wild Ones Front Range Chapter Plant of the Month: Pinus aristata (Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine)"

Colorado Native Plants for Caterpillars and Birds

By Deborah Lebow Aal If you are reading this, you have some familiarity with, and/or, some interest in the interdependence of native plants and native insects. Some native plants provide the ecosystem with more benefits for insects than others. The measure I am using for ecosystem benefits is how many species of caterpillars a native […] Continue reading "Colorado Native Plants for Caterpillars and Birds"