Spring is set to begin and for many Coloradans, it鈥檚 time to start planting their gardens. While the options of what to plant are endless, certain native plants will be easier to care for and require less water in the state鈥檚 dry climate. Horticulture specialists say native plants are a growing trend in Colorado.
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鈥淢ore research is coming out as well over the last 10 years that has really pointed us in the direction of natives for gardening,鈥� said Tommy Roth, a horticulture coordinator at CSU Extension. 鈥淭hey also have a lot of benefits for water savings in Colorado. I mean, we're running out of water. More and more people are moving to our state. So it's really going to be important in the future if you want to sustain large-scale human life here, we're going to need to be conserving water.鈥�
Roth's work focuses heavily on landscaping and creating a garden that is beneficial for our environment. This could mean ditching the traditional Kentucky bluegrass lawn and replacing it with native wildflowers. Landscaped lawns account for 55% of residential water usage across the state. However, Roth says the first steps in someone鈥檚 approach to a more sustainable yard should not be an all-or-nothing approach.
鈥淚f you're a homeowner and you don't want to get rid of all your lawn, that's perfectly understandable,鈥� said Roth. 鈥淟awns are very useful for many things, You know, if you have dogs if you have kids that you want to run around with, totally understandable. So I think a good place to start would be the edges of the lawn. Maybe try reducing some of those corner areas, areas near fences or areas near your house. In a lot of cases, those can be replaced with natives without actually compromising the usefulness of the turf.鈥�
Even small steps can make a difference. Plus, they鈥檙e beneficial for homeowners as the plants need less water and fertilizer, and are generally more resistant to pests and disease making it easier to care for. Additionally, native plants also support bees, birds and other pollinators that help the local ecosystem.
At CSU Extension, Colorado is broken down into five different regions for gardening. This includes:
- Plains/Prairie
- Front Range/Foothills
- Southeastern Colorado
- Mountains above 7,500 feet
- Lower Elevation Western Slope
Each area has its unique plants and climate. That means gardeners need to research to find out which plants best fit your region.
Other factors people should consider for their plants include the amount of sunlight they get in their yard and the water conditions. Also, there is a slight level of know-how to properly set up your garden and understand which plants work well together.
鈥淔or a more natural, successful and easily maintained landscape, group species that grow together naturally and have the same cultural requirements. This will improve plant health and appearance and will minimize maintenance,鈥� writes a .
Besides the effort of laying out a garden so the plants work together, soil is another important factor. While the plants may be native to the area, it doesn鈥檛 mean that everyone鈥檚 soil is good to go.
鈥淚n a lot of new developments, developers will strip the soil. They'll strip the top soil layer, which is the most nutrient dense layer of the soil, and because it's a little bit more unstable to build on,鈥� said Roth. 鈥淎nd so in a lot of cases, I would recommend that homeowners would add compost to their soil and then to fertilize with a fertilizer that contains nitrogen prior to planting any natives, just to ensure that those natives are going to have a great start to their life and have the nutrients they need to take hold in an area.鈥�
A few popular starting points for lawns besides wildflowers include buffalo grass, which Roth said is similar to traditional grass, but you can expect your lawn to be brown for a larger part of the year. Another option is blue grama, which is less similar to traditional turf and needs to be kept a bit taller, but Roth says this grass has 鈥渁 lot of ornamental value.鈥�
Other popular plants to grow around the Front Range of northern Colorado include milkweed, which is known to attract butterflies, and plants like rabbitbrush, which locals probably see along trails in the area. One thing you won鈥檛 see a lot of recommendations on natively are trees that provide shade.
There are not a lot of great shade trees that are native to Colorado. Some of our shade trees that are native, like Cottonwood, they're messy. They produce a lot of cotton. They also break apart easily,鈥� said Roth.
If someone is set on adding a tree to their yard, CSU Extension recommends either a bur oak, which can handle drought conditions, or the honey locust, a tree that has gained popularity to replace ash trees that have been destroyed by the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle.
Want to learn more about native plants?
Listen to the interview with Tommy Roht on the In the NoCo podcast or visit the for more details about what to plant at your home.
Still have questions? Fill out our form below. We will be sharing your questions with the CSU Extension for a future episode of In The NoCo. We will also share those responses right here on KUNC.org.
