By Jan Midgley Also known as Prairie Sagebrush or Fringed Sage, the soft mounding mat of silvery gray green foliage typical of Artemisia frigida is an excellent matrix for a garden bed of native grasses and forbs. This is a sensory plant: soft to the touch, sweet smelling, edible and visually soft and soothing. It is an excellent […] Continue reading "Colorado Native Plant Focus: Artemisia frigida"
By Jan Midgely In nature, seeds from Colorado plants undergo large daily temperature swings over winter. Seeds of some species require a cold moist treatment (stratification) to germinate. Others do not, but will tolerate the cold. Temperature swings outdoors are quite different from a cold moist treatment in a refrigerator at a constant 38-40 ̊ […] Continue reading "Outdoor Colorado Native Seed Stratification"
by Lisa Olsen Native Seed Swaps are essentially pay-it-forward events. Free and open to the public, the Swaps invite novice and seasoned gardeners to adopt more native plants into their gardens and return their bounty of seeds to support our growing native landscaping community. It was very rewarding to see so many (and especially so […] Continue reading "Seed Swaps: Gateways to Native Gardening"
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"
Colorado native plants evolved in tough soils and climates. Even in natural areas with no supplemental water many are producing fertile seeds this year. Prior to collecting, it’s a good idea to review the Colorado Native Plant Society’s collection protocols. Front Range Wild Ones follows ethical seed collection protocols. In fact, we are a little […] Continue reading "Native Seed Collection and Cleaning"
By Jan Midgely Colorado plants evolved in tough soils and climates. Even in natural areas with no supplemental water many are producing fertile seeds this year. If collecting seeds has slipped your mind, it is time to get cracking and get ready to swap seeds at the fall Native Seed Swaps. You will need paper […] Continue reading "Colorado Native Seed Collection & Cleaning Tips"
Please Join Wild Ones and Audubon Rockies for our first 2018 Seed Propagation Event on February 28th from 5:00-7:00PM at REI Denver. Native landscaping is so beneficial in many ways, but it is also a very special (and easy!) way of gardening itself! In this talk, you will learn how to propagate your native seeds, either […] Continue reading "Join us for our first 2018 Seed Propagation Event!!"