Category: Colorado Native Plants

Rocky Mountain penstemon: An excellent choice for a native plant garden

| Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Cynthia Reiners Rocky Mountain penstemon, Penstemon strictus, is an attractive Colorado native perennial that meets several important objectives for a suburban native plant gardener. This species of penstemon is often commercially available, easily grown in a variety of micro-climates and ordinary soil, and visibly supports the local web of life. A less well- known […] Continue reading "Rocky Mountain penstemon: An excellent choice for a native plant garden"

Glorious Grasses Native to Colorado’s Front Range

| Colorado Native Plants, Ecological Services

By Deb Lebow Aal. Updated by Jen Smith, September 2023. No, no, not Kentucky Blue Grass! Banish that thought and that grass – definitely not native, here. Kentucky Blue Grass (referred to from now on as KBG !!), the bane of water providers in the west, is ubiquitous, and, while it serves a purpose (it […] Continue reading "Glorious Grasses Native to Colorado’s Front Range"

Gardening for More than Beauty | Restoring Nature and A Sense of Place

| Colorado Native Plants, Ecological Services

By Deb Lebow Aal. Updated October 2023 by Jen Smith. We garden for beauty. We love to make our landscapes look nice, and that is a wonderful reason to be a gardener. But, we can balance gardening for beauty with gardening to ensure we are in harmony with the ecosystem; that we are providing a […] Continue reading "Gardening for More than Beauty | Restoring Nature and A Sense of Place"

A Lawn on the Front Range or Colorado Native Plants?

| Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Turf Conversion

By: Deborah Lebow Aal Despite their standardized curb appeal, are lawns really all they’re cracked up to be? With all of their harmful impacts on the environment from carbon emissions to over fertilization, pesticide treatments, and water consumption, the answer is likely, not so much!!! You might be able to get away with a lawn […] Continue reading "A Lawn on the Front Range or Colorado Native Plants?"

Attracting Butterflies with Colorado Native Wildflowers, Shrubs, Vines and Trees

| Colorado Native Plants

By Deb Lebow Aal DID YOU KNOW –  Butterflies taste with their feet, and use their antenna to smell!! Butterflies are fascinating and beautiful creatures that frequent gardens and wildscapes throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. They like a wide perch to land on and are attracted to bright colors (Bees can’t see red, but butterflies […] Continue reading "Attracting Butterflies with Colorado Native Wildflowers, Shrubs, Vines and Trees"