Category: Native Landscape Planning & Design

Connecting Native Plant Gardening and Rain Gardening

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Ecological Services, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Sustainability, Uncategorized

By Kristine Johnson I’ve written a series of articles for Wild Ones Front Range on precipitation harvesting, and I’ve recently interviewed Brad Lancaster, Jace Lankow and Luis Salgado­­­–all water harvesting practitioners in Tucson, Arizona–for insights into the connections between native plant gardening and rain gardening. Look for that article in the national Wild Ones Journal […] Continue reading "Connecting Native Plant Gardening and Rain Gardening"

Ecological Gardening Best Principles

Posted on | Ecological Services, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Sustainability

 By Deborah Lebow Aal Wild Ones isn’t only about native plants. Yes, plant choice is critical, but your overall gardening techniques and what you do before, during and after the planting of these native plants can have an equally large impact on your home ecosystem. So, here are our top ten tips for caring for […] Continue reading "Ecological Gardening Best Principles"

Rain Gardening: Thinking About Next Steps

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Kristine Johnson with assistance and photos from Theodore Johnson Mencimer Why Install a Rain Garden Last year, I wrote about the “why” of rainwater harvesting, and Pam Sherman reviewed Brad Lancaster’s well-known books on rainwater harvesting. Brad is very much the “how.” I also mentioned rain gardening in my article on multi-stem trees–which should […] Continue reading "Rain Gardening: Thinking About Next Steps"

Starting a Native Garden from Scratch

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Flower Interest, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Turf Conversion

One Colorado Newbie’s Experience Article and Photos by Karen Vanderwall This is the first in a series of articles focusing on the experiences of members creating a native garden from the beginning. When we first moved to Fort Collins three years ago, we came with the knowledge that water was a precious resource here. We […] Continue reading "Starting a Native Garden from Scratch"

Things I Wish I Hadn’t Done When Planting My Native Plant Garden

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design, Uncategorized

Compiled by Deb Lebow Aal Recently, I asked a few of our more active members what they wish they had done differently when starting out with their Colorado native plant gardens. And, I got an earful! Here’s hoping that this will help you out along your journey to Coloradoscaping your yard. Mary said what I […] Continue reading "Things I Wish I Hadn’t Done When Planting My Native Plant Garden"

Plant Spotlight: Blue Grama Grass

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Karen Vanderwall Popping into a local nursery one day a few years ago, a very interesting tall ornamental grass caught my eye. With closer inspection I noticed that the seed heads resembled blond eyelashes – it was spectacular!  The grass was ‘Blond Ambition’, a specific cultivar of blue grama grass*. Upon further reading I […] Continue reading "Plant Spotlight: Blue Grama Grass"

Questions to Ask a Native Plant Landscaper

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Kristine Johnson While many members of Wild Ones Front Range are totally on the DIY (do it yourself) bandwagon–for various reasons or for various portions of our space–we may also reach out for help from professionals. Native plant landscaping can feel daunting. So how do you find someone who is a good fit for […] Continue reading "Questions to Ask a Native Plant Landscaper"

Plant Spotlight: Rocky Mountain Juniper

Posted on | Climate Change, Colorado Native Insects, Colorado Native Plants, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Karen Vanderwall and Kristine Johnson I know, just the thought of planting a juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) on purpose in or near your garden of all places seems unlikely–or at least way down on the list of interesting plants you’re “pining” for. But you may want to give the humble native juniper some consideration. Juniperus […] Continue reading "Plant Spotlight: Rocky Mountain Juniper"