Native plants are becoming more and more popular in
landscaping, as people seek to reduce water use, increase habitat for
pollinators, and create more of a sense of place. Unfortunately, there’s only a limited palette of plants in
nurseries to choose from (hint, talk to your favorite nursery and ask them to
carry more native species). The ones
that are out there (such as Penstemons, blanket flower, cacti, serviceberry,
currants, and more) are great, but there are many deserving plants that I rarely
see offered for sale. This needs to
change, people! 😊
Here are some underused (and possibly hard to find) native
plants for dry, sunny situations in Colorado.
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| Cliffrose (Purshia stansburiana) |
Cliffrose (Purshia
stansburiana) is a shrub native to the western slope. It has a profusion of creamy yellow flowers,
and they smell delightful. When I was
hiking around Grand Junction during bloom (typically May-June), the air was
sweet, and pollinators buzzed. After
they are done blooming, they develop a fun fuzzy seed head reminiscent of
Apache plume. They are also very
drought-tolerant -- these should be used way more often in our water-limited
gardens. Alas, they do not do well at
elevation, but mountain folks like me can make do with a tough (but slightly
less showy) relative called Antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata).
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| Orchid penstemon (Penstemon secundiflorus) |
Side bells or Orchid Penstemon (Penstemon secundiflorus): this spring-blooming penstemon has a
gorgeous, large flower that is somewhere between purple and pink. The flowers all bloom from one side of the
plant (hence the name side-bells), but the flowers are large and exotic enough
that I think the alternate common name, orchid penstemon, captures the essence
of them better. I have seen everything
from bumblebees to swallowtails pollinating them. Even out of bloom, the bluish
foliage still looks good in the garden.
For a real treat, pair with showy locoweed, (Oxytropis lambertii).
Plains zinnia (Zinnia
grandiflora) is a tough ground cover-like flower. It loves the heat, and will bloom from mid-late summer in any dry soil,
including dry clay. It covers itself
with golden flowers for a long period – and the fact that it blooms in late
summer when many other flowers have called it quits give it bonus points. It looks great with other late summer flowers
or grasses. It prefers full sun but can
take some afternoon shade. There is a
Plant Select selection called “Gold on Blue” that has a rhizomatous growth
habit and a bluer foliage.
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| Cushion buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium) |
Cushion buckwheat (Eriogonum
ovalifolium): I fell in love with this little buckwheat on that same hike I
referenced above with the cliffrose. It
is simply stunning – the perfect little puffballs of flowers look like they are
out of a Dr. Seuss book – and they often fade from pinkish to pink as they age.
This would be awesome in a dry rock garden setting, or in the front of the
border. I have my doubts as to how hardy it would be in the higher elevations,
but I would grow it now if I could find the right conditions for it.
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| Pasque flower (Pulsatilla patens) |
And can anyone explain why it is so hard to find plants of
our native pasque flower (Pulsatilla (Anemone)
patens), whereas the European ones are relatively easy to find? I don’t think they have very different
germination protocols, but perhaps I’m wrong on that. It’s such a fantastic
early bloomer (early pollinators love it!) and is very tough.
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