by Deborah Lebow Aal You are right. There aren’t many native trees on the Front Range. I wrote an article on Native Trees for the Colorado Front Range a few years ago, but since we have so many new members, and since it is perhaps the most common question I get (What trees do you recommend?), we will […] Continue reading "Gamble on a Gambel Oak and Some Other Colorado Native Trees for the Front Range"
By Jan Midgley In dry lands with few woody plants, grasses are the foundation of the landscape both functionally and aesthetically. But why should we include them in public and private designed landscapes? The small, wind pollinated flowers are not as showy as the flowers of forbs (flowering herbaceous plants that are not a graminoid […] Continue reading "Grasses are the Foundation"
By Deb Lebow Aal If you are reading this, you have some familiarity with, and/or, some interest in, native plants and native insects. You probably have planted some native plants in your landscape, or are intending to do so. This article is to remind you that not all native plants are created equal. Some native […] Continue reading "All Native Plants are NOT Created Equal"
Primary Author: Deb Lebow Aal If you want to attract butterflies (and who doesn’t?), you will need to plant the right native plants to attract them. The challenge is to support all life stages of the butterfly, from the egg, through the larval and pupal stages, and then the adult. Many plants labeled as butterfly […] Continue reading "Attracting Butterflies with Colorado Native Plants"
By Deborah Lebow Aal I know your interest is in native plants, and I’ll get there, but I will presume if you are reading this, that you are also interested in ecosystem issues and maybe even what steps you can take with your landscape to combat climate change. I recently read a wonderful post by […] Continue reading "Zero-Waste Gardening"
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"
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"
By Deb Lebow Aal Many of us know this plant, Goldenrod (Solidago), although it is often overlooked in the garden. It has lovely yellow flowers that bloom just as everything else is fading in your garden. It sways beautifully in the wind, and is a lovely companion plant to purple asters in the fall. Despite […] Continue reading "Colorado Native Wildflower: Solidago – Goldenrod"