Photo credits (left to right): W.D. and Dolphia Bransford, Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller, and Thomas Muller, all courtesy of Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
One of the showiest native shrubs on Colorado’s front range is Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa). It has a wild look about it, and can get rather rangy if untended, but that, we think, contributes to its beauty. It is extremely drought tolerant, with white flowers in the spring, but what it is best known for is its pink seed clusters which appear once the flowers are finished. These gorgeous seed pods last for quite a long time, typically from May through September. This shrub likes full sun, so plant on your south or west side, where your soil drains well, but somewhere you can see it, as it attracts a wide variety of bees and butterflies. Some say this plant is fire wise also, although you must still be careful not to plant this beautiful native shrub too close to buildings.
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