Category: General

Aquilegia coerulea (Rocky Mountain Columbine, Blue Columbine) – Perennial Forb – Native Plant Species Sheet

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Aquilegia coerulea (Rocky Mountain Columbine, Blue Columbine) – Perennial Forb – Native Plant Species Sheet Download the PDF by clicking on the image above. View all of our Native Plant Species Sheets provided by Front Range Wild Ones.(Thanks Peggy for helping create all of these great sheets!) Continue reading "Aquilegia coerulea (Rocky Mountain Columbine, Blue Columbine) – Perennial Forb – Native Plant Species Sheet"

Habitat Gardening is for the Birds!

Posted on | Birds, Colorado Native Insects, Colorado Native Plants, Colorado Native Trees and Shrubs, Ecological Services, Native Landscape Planning & Design

By Kristine Johnson A few years ago, I applied for and received a Terra Foundation Grant from the Landscaping with Colorado Native Plants Conference. This meant $1000 toward native plants which supported birds, while also requiring turf removal and tracking biodiversity in some way in my yard. We removed the last of the lawn in […] Continue reading "Habitat Gardening is for the Birds!"

Overlooked Native Plants

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By Kristine Johnson Imagine a native plant garden. What do you see? Most of us picture colorful and attractive flowers, mostly of a certain shape and a certain height, but growing native plants is so much more than that. This article will encourage you to think a little outside the box to consider different types […] Continue reading "Overlooked Native Plants"

Plant Stories: Blue Flax

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Flower Interest, Uncategorized

Linum lewisii By Karen Vanderwall With their many electric periwinkle blue flowers, blooming prolifically from late spring through summer, blue flax (Linum lewisii) is a native garden must have. Blue flexor Lewis flax can be described as dainty or airy or even delicate; its stems coming together into a vase shape with spaced small narrow […] Continue reading "Plant Stories: Blue Flax"

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"

Plant Spotlight: Butterfly Weed

Posted on | Colorado Native Plants, Flower Interest, Uncategorized

Asclepias tuberosa By Karen Vanderwall Most gardeners and many lovers of the outdoors are familiar with milkweeds. Showy milkweed, our most common native here in Colorado, is tall with clusters of pink flowers. Or perhaps you’ve noticed the orange flowers of the less common more compact milkweed, the native butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa. Most milkweeds […] Continue reading "Plant Spotlight: Butterfly Weed"

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"

A Colorado Pocket Prairie

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

By Deb Lebow Aal As we approach the winter solstice, I am taking time to pull back, pull inside, reorganize, and yes, already think about my landscape for next year. We gardeners don’t only find solace and joy in working in our gardens, but planning them as well, and as a respite from the tumult […] Continue reading "A Colorado Pocket Prairie"

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

Posted on | Colorado Native Insects, Colorado Native Plants, Flower Interest, Uncategorized

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"

Colorado Native Plant Gardening Myths Take 3

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By Deb Lebow Aal Thanks to Kristine Johnson for her assistance on this article. A few years ago, we published two articles on Colorado native plant gardening myths. They were wildly popular, and the issues discussed in those articles still surface when talking gardening, so, they bear repeating. I am updating the original posts with […] Continue reading "Colorado Native Plant Gardening Myths Take 3"