When Dryish Eyes are Smiling

 

Posted by: John Murgel, Horticulture and Natural Resources Agent, Douglas County

 

Looking for some green in your life, but concerned about landscape water use?  Then let me tell you about extremely dry gardens.  Gardens without supplemental water.

 If you’re shuddering now, I don’t blame you.  You’ve probably seen xeriscapes that hardly inspire enthusiasm.  But whether you’re interested in dry gardens for sustainability, economics, aesthetics, or because (like me) you’re just tired of dealing with the sprinkler system, I have some solutions and suggestions that go beyond rocks, a steer skull, and a wagon wheel.

 To succeed with a dry garden, understanding how plants cope with drought is a great way to begin.  Annuals take advantage of favorable conditions to sprout and flower quickly, set copious seed, and then perish as conditions get drier.  Their seeds will rest until conditions are right again.  Bulbs use a similar strategy, but rest as a perennial plant, hidden beneath the soil surface.  Both annuals and bulbs can be extremely showy additions to gardens, filling spaces between perennials—but the display is usually short-lived--maybe a month.  A few annuals will flower for a longer period if conditions remain favorable—California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata) are two examples of plants that can flower all summer if conditions don’t get too harsh.  Both grow easily from seed sown outdoors in spring.

Desert Marigold (yellow, front) growing happily in Southern Arizona without water.  It can handle Colorado drought, too!

Perennials, shrubs, and trees cope with drought by various methods of tolerance, including morphological adaptations to leaves and roots, by “aestivating,” or going dormant during hot dry periods, and physiological adaptations (like CAM photosynthesis, used by succulents when the growing gets tough).

Choosing plants for your garden should begin with an evaluation of the type of drought you’re dealing with.  A gardener in Castle Rock, for example, will be facing a very different drought than a gardener in Grand Junction or Lamar.  Geography will tell you about your “normal” precipitation patterns.  Then factors like soil (its nature and depth), microclimates, shade, tree roots, wind, and salt will all play in as well.  Once these are known, at least approximately, you can begin choosing plants. 

No-water gardens can include native and non-native plants.

In general, the only soil improvement that you should undertake is to reduce compaction by “forking”.  Do everything you can to maintain soil structure--if you're using machinery, don't overdo it!  As a general rule, drought-tolerant plants prefer stony, coarse, well drained soil that is low in organic matter (you know, the stuff that we all like to complain about as "terrible Colorado soil").  Use mineral mulch (like pea gravel or crushed granite) or low berms to ensure that moisture drains away from plant crowns quickly.  Plant perennials in wide, shallow bowls so that they can be watered deeply and infrequently during their establishment year.  After a once a week-ish drink the first summer, you can let the plants fend for themselves.  The bowls can be disguised with the mineral mulch if you don’t want your garden to look too lunar. 

A quick aside—don’t put weed fabric below your mulch, just use deep enough mulch.  4” of gravel will suppress weeds and won’t impede air- and water-flow like weed fabric does.

Perhaps the most counterintuitive principle for starting with plants is to plant small!  Large tender plants straight from the cushy conditions of the nursery will quickly shrivel in the tough conditions of your new drought-tolerant garden.  Start with small plants, or even try planting perennials from seed (check the seed packet for the best planting time).  Plant your plants early to take advantage of spring moisture.  Hardened plants can go out in early April along the Front Range, for example, as long as the soil workable. 

Be patient.  Your plants will grow slowly in their first year, but they’ll reward you each successive season with bigger displays.  Maintenance often includes only cutting back spent flowers (if you like). 

This first year xeriscape is small on plants, but be patient

For more information (including design, maintenance, trees, weeds, and fire)—please join the April 1 webinar about no-water gardening! Registration is required, but the webinar will be recorded and posted in the webinars page of this blog.

The same garden in the spring of year 3, having received no watering other than rain for 2 years!

Update: It's true that perennial beds can look shaggy in winter and dry gardens are no exception.  BUT--careful garden design and strategic use of evergreens (including evergreen succulents) can provide season-long interest without looking unkempt.  Just be sure to mow or cut everything back before the bulbs come up!

The same garden, from a different angle, in winter

Snow and Plants

By Yvette Henson, San Miguel Basin Extension

By the end of January, we had close to average snowpack statewide.  This was encouraging after last years (and previous years) droughts!  In February and into this first week in March, we have had quite a bit of snow in my region of the state which I am sure has resulted in above average snowpack for February.   The Colorado Snow Survey & Water Supply News Release for February hasn’t been published at the time I am writing this blog, but when it is released, you can find it here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/co/snow/waterproducts/supply/

Update March 9th-- imagine my surprise to learn when the report come out yesterday afternoon, that even though we received more than 4' of new snow the last week in February at my 8,400' elevation in SW CO, we are still only 95% of average snow pack for 2022.

snow covered landscape

Snow can be like an insulating blanket over plants to protect them from frigid temperatures and desiccating wind.  Temperatures at ground level under snow can be degrees higher (even above freezing) and fluctuate less than air temperatures. 

soil temperature is lower under snow cover,  protecting the developing crowns on these native goldenrod Solidago sp.

Light can penetrate the snow cover.  It is interesting that light can only penetrates to a depth of 12-20” through snow in the fall but to a depth of more than 6’ in the late winter and spring!  The angle of the sun, the daylength, as well as properties of the snow affect the timing, the amount and the quality of the light that reaches plants under the snow.   In the late winter, the light penetration through the snow triggers some seeds to germinate and some species to develop buds in their crowns in preparation for spring regrowth.  A classic example of a Colorado native plant that develops leaves and floral structures under snow are avalanche lilies.  As the snow melts in the spring, the flowers bloom.

yellow avalanche lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) and spring beauties (Claytonia lanceolata)

 

Have you noticed that the plants that have been growing under snow often have a red tint when the snow melts but change to green as the season progresses?  This is due in part to the fact that the red pigments in the plants absorb blue and green light that pass through the snow in winter. 

red foliage on emerging plants, right after snow-melt

We gardeners learn which plants do well under snow cover and which don’t.  We often learn this the hard way.  Not all plants do well with snow cover.  In this case, it is often the wet soil under the snow rather than just the cold that kills these plants during winter.  A general rule is to research the environmental conditions of where a plant is native to.  If it is an area with no snow fall and you typically have snow cover in the winter,  you could site those plants on south facing slopes and/or against structures with south and west exposures where snow melts more quickly.  In a similar way, snow will melt quicker off rock mulch than bark or leaf mulch.  Plants that come from areas that do receive snow can withstand colder temperatures with snow cover than without and don’t mind ‘wet feet’.  

south facing berm and gravel mulch absorb heat and melt snow quicker-- this is a good place for plants that don't overwinter well with snow cover

North facing (same berm) as previous photo has more consistent snow cover-- this is a good place for plants that do well with snow cover.

Snow load can break branches of woody shrubs and trees, especially where it lands after falling off roofs.   If you have this situation in winter, you can plant shrubs that respond well to being cut back to ground level in the spring.  Some examples are elderberries (Sambucus spp.), grown for their foliage, dogwoods (Cornus spp.), grown for their colorful winter branches and butterfly bushes (Buddleja spp.)  It can be done with many multi-stemmed, summer flowering shrubs that form their flower buds on the current season’s growth.  This severe pruning stimulates multiple stems to regrow from the base and may keep your shrubs smaller in stature, depending on their growth rate. 

 I am thankful for the snow this winter.  I can’t wait till spring to see my favorite plants again, after the snow melts.

When is it no longer just a drought?

 

By Irene Shonle, CSU Extension El Paso County

 

Despite a statewide snowpack of right at 100% (as of Feb 7, 2022), most of the state is in moderate to extreme drought, especially along the Front Range.  The Western Slope, thanks to recent snows, has improved to “just” moderate drought or even abnormally dry.This is because drought conditions only improve when precipitation falls on the area in question - the mountain snowpacks will help our reservoirs and rivers, but if snow doesn't fall in your yard or open space, it will remain in drought no matter how good the mountain snowpack is (if you don't live in the mountains).

Colorado drought monitor, Feb 3 2022

Temperatures are warming, too. The statewide average temperature for this past December was 7.1°F above the monthly average -- the 2nd warmest December on record. Colorado observed its warmest Jul-Dec on record in 2021, far beating out the previous record from 1933. It also ranked as 39th driest. This year, Denver had its least snowy September through November period on record and latest first snow on record since records began in 1882.

We are used to seeing drought in Colorado, even multiyear drought. It has come and gone over the years, but good times have always followed the bad times.

 However, there is reason to believe that things may be changing, and that the current drought may not be a situation where we can just grit our teeth and endure for a time. Some scientists are suggesting that we abandon using the word ‘drought’ altogether, because that implies that a year or two of good precipitation will put things to rights again.  Jonathan Overpeck and Brad Udall instead say that “anthropogenic climate change calls this assumption (that drought will end) into question because we now know with high confidence that continued emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere guarantee continued warming and that this continued warming makes more widespread, prolonged, and severe dry spells and drought almost a sure bet.” (https://www.pnas.org/content/117/22/11856).

The reason that precipitation won’t necessarily fix things is because even if the rains come, "the hotter temperatures we are beginning to experience are a potent driver of greater aridity: hotter climate extremes; drier soil conditions; more severe drought; and the impacts of hydrologic stress on rivers, forests, agriculture, and other systems". (https://www.pnas.org/content/117/22/11856).  Warmer air holds more moisture and can basically suck more water out of soils and plants due to evaporation and evapotranspiration. So, even if climate change brings increased precipitation (which is still very unclear in the models), we will be seeing widespread aridification across the West, and even creeping eastward. Some scientists are beginning to compare the trajectory we are on to the medieval megadrought (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaz9600).  Edit to add that 2 days after I published this post, an article in Nature Climate Change showed that the current drought is the driest period since the 1500s! (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01290-z)

 It does seem as though we have already hit somewhat of a tipping point with our forests. Just a decade ago, you could count on clear mountain skies for summer hikes, but now, the huge fires across the west create unhealthy air conditions and poor air quality on a yearly basis. Smoke monitoring apps are now a thing. The fire season is no longer a season, but year round – as illustrated by the unprecedented wildfire in Boulder County on December 30, 2021, shaking many. Overall, we are seeing an uptick in large wildfires and wildfire severity, which studies have tied to human-caused climate change. Sixteen of the top 20 largest wildfires on record have occurred since 2008, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.  Unfortunately, there is no relief in sight – wildfires are only expected to increase in frequency and in scope (https://csfs.colostate.edu/colorados-forests-changing-climate/).

 We will also see more challenges to agriculture, as producers may experience less water for irrigation either from overtapped aquifers or overappropriated rivers with less water, and unirrigated rangeland may become less productive.

I am not intending this to be a doom and gloom post, although I know the message is grim, and one no one really wants to hear.  I am really intending it to be food for thought for gardeners.  Consider the plants you have in your yard. Are they resilient to drought? What if there are increasing water restrictions?  What if prices for water go up? If you are going to do any yard renovation this year or in the near future, you would be wise to take the long view, and plant plants that are both waterwise and heat tolerant, so your yard can stay attractive, even in a changing climate. Consider planting drought-tolerant native plants – and consider “shopping” from the palette of plants just to the south of your location – or at a slightly lower elevation. Front Range gardeners could look at these two publications: SE CO Native plants: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/native/SESm.pdf and Western CO native plants: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/native/WestSlopeSm.pdf.

Here are more fact sheets on native trees, shrubs, and perennials you could plant (avoid the ones that require higher water):

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-trees-for-colorado-landscapes-7-421/

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-shrubs-for-colorado-landscapes-7-422/

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-herbaceous-perennials-for-colorado-landscapes-7-242/

 

 And please, don’t give up altogether and replace your yard with gravel – this just leads to increasing heat and aridification!

Here are some other resources to make your garden more resilient to drought: 
https://extension.colostate.edu/disaster-web-sites/landscape-management-during-drought-and-with-limited-water-availability-in-colorado/

https://extension.colostate.edu/disaster-web-sites/woody-plant-management-during-drought-and-with-limited-water-availability-in-colorado/

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/xeriscaping-retrofit-your-yard-7-234/

https://extension.colostate.edu/disaster-web-sites/flower-management-during-drought-and-with-limited-water-availability-in-colorado/

 https://extension.colostate.edu/disaster-web-sites/home-vegetable-garden-management-during-a-drought-in-colorado/

Think Tomatoes!

Posted by: Alison O'Connor, Larimer County Extension

It’s official. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and there’s more winter ahead. For those who’ve lived in Colorado for a few years, you know our snowiest months are usually February and March, but gardeners can use these days to dream of spring. Since 2019, the Larimer County Master Gardeners, under the supervision of fellow CMG Jon Weiss, have conducted tomato trials, trying to determine some of the most fruitful (and tasty) tomatoes for northern Colorado.

Jon Weiss, Master Gardener 'Celebrity', and mastermind of the tomato trials

Jon and his cadre of volunteer cohorts designed and managed two trials: the first was an in-ground study conducted in 2019 and 2021 at the ARDEC-South Experiment Station in Fort Collins; the other was a container study at the CSU Annual Trial Gardens on Remington Street.

Field Trials

With a pause in field research in 2020 due to Covid, this study started in 2019 and was replicated in 2021. Jon selected 12 tomato varieties, both hybrid and open-pollinated selections. There were three replications with five plants per replication of each variety. In working with the elements and challenges of an outdoor field study, the crops experienced all types of weather (including hail) and varying lengths of growing seasons. In addition to collecting data on when the tomatoes started maturing, average size of fruit and total yield was documented. New Girl was the earliest maturing variety and had the highest fruit yield for 2019 and 2021. While fruit size for this variety is small, those looking for high yields and large fruit may want to consider Carbon and/or Big Beef.

But how do they taste? Jon conducted taste-test studies with all 12 of the tomato varieties (thank you taste-testers!) and New Girl had an average flavor of 3.3 (out of 5) for the average of the two growing seasons.

All field-grown tomatoes were blind taste-tested. Participants tasted all 12 varieties and rated them for several flavor profiles. 

Master Gardener Anne Wuerslin jots down notes during the taste test.

Container Trials

In thinking about gardeners with smaller spaces, Jon also selected tomatoes to grow in containers. Tomatoes were not staked and left to grow in their natural habit, which was variable among the three varieties. Cherry Falls was an early maturing variety with a compact, somewhat open growth habit. Totem had a dense growth habit and was the latest maturing of the three. Patio Choice Yellow was as early as Cherry Falls, with larger fruit, and higher yield.

So if you like yellow tomatoes with big yield (an average of eight pounds of fruit per plant), Patio Choice Yellow might be a good one to add to your garden this summer.

It should be noted that all harvested fruit was donated to the Larimer County Food Bank, with several hundred pounds donated in 2021. For more results, check out the summaries here.

Going forward, Jon is planning to move on from tomatoes and will be conducting a sweet pepper trial in 2022, including bell peppers and “lunch box” types. Our thanks and appreciation to the staff at ARDEC-South and the CSU Annual Trials Gardens: Drs. Mark Uchanski and Jim Klett, Jane Davey, and David Staats for their support of these trials.

Coneflowers

 

Coneflowers

By CSU Horticulture Agent, Linda Langelo

                                        Photo credit: Fossil Creek Tree Farm, Cheyenne Spirit

New research is being done all the time with cultivated varieties. One such garden that does trials on coneflowers and many other perennials is Mt Cuba Center. This garden is a botanical garden that studies native plants and plant conservation.

Coneflowers are native to central and eastern United States. Coneflower or Echinacea is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial. Echinacea purpurea produces roots that are more fibrous while other species produce roots that are taproots. This allows them to grow in areas that experience drought and in areas that have heavy competition from other plant's roots. All coneflowers require well-drained soils. The fibrous root system of Echinacea purpurea makes it an ideal plant for many garden sites that have a perennial mix.

Some of the nine species Mt Cuba Center studied grow here in Colorado. The observation of these plants was over a two-year period. Both the performance and visitation of various pollinators was recorded. No fungicides were used during the two-year period. Supplemental water was provided in the first season only to allow the plant's roots to become established.

Of all the Echinacea purpurea species trialed at Mt Cuba Center, the cultivated varieties that performed the best were Echinacea purpurea 'Pica Bella' and Echinacea purpurea 'Fragrant Angel'. Why were they chosen? Their overall habits were sturdy, semi-compact that resisted flopping. There was no need of staking.

Echinacea purpurea 'Pica Bella' is a cultivated variety that most resembles the straight species, Echinacea purpurea in its floral display. This variety also ranked ver high in the number and types of pollinators that were found on the prominent orange cones during the late June to mid-July bloom time. Among the types of pollinators were butterflies, bees, and wasps. The plant will reach a height of only two feet compared to the four feet of straight species. 

                                     Photo credit: Missouri Botanic Garden - Pica Bella

Echinacea purpurea 'Fragrant Angel' is the highest rated of all the cultivated varieties of a white flowering Echinacea. The blossoms are around four and a half inches wide that flower from July into August. This plant is also ranked very high for attracting pollinators such as bees, wasps, and butterflies.

                                            Photo credit: White Flower Farm - Fragrant Angel

Overall, Echinacea are short-lived plants unless they are started from seed. They also have an incurable systemic disease called Aster yellows. It is a pathogen called a phytoplasma, a microorganism that is spread from plant to plant by leafhopper insects. The only way to reduce the spread of the disease is to get rid of the infected plants. 

The other issue with Echinacea is eriophyid mites which can cause unusal growth in the floral cones. In this case the removal of the floral cone can help to control the mites. The symptoms for eriophyid mites are localized infection with the lack of green leafy growth originating from the flowers.

In Sedgwick County Extension, we started a trial garden of Echinacea in 2021. We will see which ones overwintered and how prolific and disease free they are in 2022. The cultivated varieties we chose were based on local availability in the nurseries. These were the following Echinacea: 

• 'Cheyenne Spirit (Echinacea hybrida)
• 'Prairie Giant'
• 'Kim's Knee High'
• 'Solar Flare'

    

Photo credit: Missouri Botanic Garden - Prairie Giant

We wished we could have purchased Echinacea 'TNECHKR' and Echinacea paradoxa. According to Mt Cuba Center they were very prolific with flowers and had the greatest garden adaptablility. Echinacea paradoxa, a yellow flowering coneflower also produced vigorous, disease-free plants. Who doesn't want that for their gardens.

                                 Photo credit: garden.virtualindustry.org-Paradoxa

 

Photo credit: reddit - Solar Flare

“Top Performer” Perennials” from the 2021 Colorado State University Flower Trials

Posted by: Dr. Jim Klett, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University

 In 2021, Colorado State University continued its three year herbaceous perennial trial and chose eight perennials as the “Top Performers” from 126 that were planted in 2019. To become a CSU ‘Top Performer’ it has to have great survival percentages after two winters and three growing seasons and scored excellent throughout the three growing seasons. A sub-committee if the CSU Annual Trial Garden Advisory Committee evaluated twelve of the top performing perennials in November of 2021 by examining photos of these plants taken every two weeks during the three year growing seasons. A majority favorable vote from the committee is needed for a perennial to become a CSU ‘Top Performer’.

 Therefore perennials that get this description have proven to be adaptable for the Front Range of Colorado. The following eight plants have been awarded this category for 2021 after three years of extensive trialing.

 A complete report on the perennials in the trial can be viewed at www.flowertrials.colostate.edu under the Perennial Trials menu tab.

Achillea ‘Firefly Sunshine’

(Achillea x hybrida) from Walters Gardens, Inc. /Proven Winners®

Vibrant yellow flowers provided a lot of color and with a long-lasting bloom. Dark green foliage also made the flower color stand out. It had superior qualities with a more compact growth habit that did not lodge despite overhead watering and had excellent winter survival. It was also noted that it did not spread around the garden which is a definite plus.

 

Brunnera ALCHEMY™ Silver

(Brunnera macrophylla) from Terra Nova Nurseries

This great plant can brighten up a shady area with a constant display of beautiful silver foliage. Plants are vigorous and are covered by a delicate cloud of light blue flowers from about May into June. Leaves are relatively thick and stands up well with strong stems to create a very attractive and uniform growth habit. 

Eupatorium Euphoria™ Ruby

(Eupatorium purpureum 'FLOREUPRE1’^PP31,668) from Darwin Perennials®

Shorter and more compact than the species, this is a nice medium size plant for the modern landscape. This was a unanimous choice for the “Top Performer” award with dependable light ruby/lilac-colored flowers that combines well with dark leaves and stems. It was noted to be an excellent pollinator plant.

 

Perovskia CrazyBlue

(Perovskia atriplicifolia 'CrazyBlue' ^{PP #25,639}) from Darwin Perennials®

Plants were noted to have superior flowering and growth habit. The flowers have a long lasting bloom period and the violet-blue flowers last longer than other Perovskia. Uniform plants had interlacing branching and sturdy stems that kept it from lodging and maintained an attractive appearance all season. It is a mid-sized plant about 3-4 feet in height.

 

Rosa Sunbeam Veranda®

(Rosa x ‘ Korfloci52’ ^PP23,314) from Star® Roses and Plants

Glossy, dark green foliage made the bright yellow flower color even more stunning. Blooming started in June and lasted well into September. The compact size makes this a great choice for smaller gardens spaces. Plants had excellent winter hardiness.

 

Rosa Cherry Frost™

(Rosa x ‘Overedclimb’^PP31,286) from Star® Roses and Plants

 Abundant bright red flowers and good disease resistance make this a good climbing rose for Colorado. Clusters of small flowers kept repeating throughout the growing season in flushes for long lasting color. It had excellent winter survival.

Sedum Prima Angelina

(Sedum rupestre) from Darwin Perennials®

Great neon yellow foliage makes this an excellent foliage plant in the summer and it also is quite showy in the winter with a nice shade of red. The spreading growth habit is very uniform and a great choice with rock gardens or combined with other Sedums for additional color contrast. Prima Angelina is superior to the straight Angelina with better branching and growth habit while also being less brittle.

Veronica Moody Blues® Mauve Improved

(Veronica spicata) from Darwin Perennials®

Impressive vibrant, mauve colored blooms covered the plants at peak and repeated later in the season. Well branched plants were compact and very uniform with 100% winter survival. It has the added bonus of being a good bloomer the first year in the garden.

 

Evergreen Trees for Dry Sites

by Amy Lentz, CSU Extension Horticulture Agent- Weld County

Even with recent snowfalls, many of us are still in some sort of drought in Colorado. It’s been unseasonably dry over the past fall and winter so far and our trees could suffer if they don't get moisture during these dry winter months. We've talked before about the importance of winter watering, but I also wanted to take a moment to cover just a few evergreen trees that can better withstand drier conditions, whether you create those conditions through xeriscaping or you just want to choose the right evergreen tree for your dry location.

Pinyon pine (Pinus edulis)

Pinyon pine tree. Photo by Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscaping.

This is a great option for those living along the Front Range and lower elevations and if you are dealing with a steep slope where water runs off frequently. However, they don’t like to be wet, so placing a Pinyon pine in the middle of your lawn where it gets watered three times a week is not ideal and the tree will likely suffer. It’s a smaller evergreen tree with two needles per bundle and attractive smaller cones. These cones are where we get pine nuts!

Pinyon pine cones. Photo by Colorado State Forest Service - Colorado State University.

 

Bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata)

 

Bristlecone pine tree. Photo by Oregon State University.

Bristlecone pine is a unique tree with a smaller mature height of around 20 feet tall with short, dark green needles that have tiny white resin dots on them (and often mistaken for bugs). Once you see past the dots, you will notice that this tree has a nice form and holds its needles for several years. This tree also grows very slowly, so you can even use it on your front porch in large containers until you are ready to plant it in the ground.

Bristlecone pine needles. Photo by Oregon State University.

 

Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)

 

Rocky Mountain Juniper Trees. Photos by Oregon State University.

This is one tough tree! Rocky Mountain junipers are often utilized in the worst conditions, like a windbreak on the Northern plains where the wind never stops. They are pyramidal in shape and small in mature height, reaching around 15 feet, depending on what type you choose. The overall color of these trees can range from green to blue, again depending on the cultivar. Look to your local nurseries to find specific cultivars such as 'Wichita Blue', 'Woodward' or 'Cologreen'.

The list of good evergreen trees for dry sites doesn’t stop with this blog, there are plenty from which you can choose. For a more complete list of all evergreen trees for Colorado landscapes (including those or more moist sites), check out our CSU Fact Sheet #7.403 - Evergreen Trees.