Contact your local county Extension office through our County Office List. Print this fact sheet. There are many benefits to using Colorado native shrubs for home and commercial landscapes. Colorado native shrubs are naturally adapted to their specific Colorado climate, soils, and environmental conditions. When correctly sited, they can be ideal plants for a sustainable landscape that requires reduced external inputs such as watering, fertilizing, and pruning.
In order to realize these benefits, the planting site must approximate the natural environmental conditions of the plant in its native habitat. Another benefit of using Colorado natives in landscapes is that they may attract a wide variety of wildlife including mammals, birds, and butterflies. Rapid urbanization in the state is reducing biodiversity colorado native plants for landscaping table habitat is removed for building and road construction.
Landscaping with natives on a large or small scale can maintain biodiversity that otherwise could be lost to development, colorado native plants for landscaping table. The shrubs listed in Table 1 are grown by some Colorado nurseries and are becoming more available in the commercial sector, colorado native plants for landscaping table.
However, not all shrubs listed are available at all nurseries, so it may be necessary to contact a number of commercial outlets to find a specific plant. If colorado native plants for landscaping table shrub is not sold in the trade, asking for it may help increase its availability. Native shrubs should not be collected from the wild because this reduces biodiversity and colorado native plants for landscaping table a disturbed area that may be invaded by weeds.
Most of the shrubs listed in Table 1 are available as container-grown plants. Native shrubs often do not have as great a visual impact in the container or immediately after planting as do traditional horticultural species.
Over time, they will reward the homeowner with their natural beauty and other benefits. There are several factors to consider in designing a native landscape. Even if a plant is listed for a particular life zone, the aspect north, south, east or west facing of the proposed site should match the moisture requirement. Colorado native plants for landscaping table example, a red twig dogwood, which has a high moisture requirement, should not be sited with plants of dissimilar water needs.
Similarly, a red twig dogwood should not Easy Plants For Landscaping 70 be planted on a south-facing slope, where a significant amount of additional moisture would be required, colorado native plants for landscaping table. Growing native shrubs does not exclude the use of adapted non-native plants. Even if a site has a non-native landscape that requires additional inputs such as an irrigated landscape on the plainsdry land native plants can be used in non-irrigated pockets within the non-native landscape.
Some communities regulate landscape appearance or the type of plants which may be used. Colorado can be divided into five life zones that are broadly defined by the plant communities that occur at the approximate elevations described. It is dominated by grasslands and streamside cottonwoods. In western Colorado, the Upper Sonoran life zone is located at altitudes below 7, feet, and in the San Luis Valley, below 8, feet.
The Montane zone consists of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, and aspen woodlands at elevations of 8, to 9, feet. Dense forests of subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce dominate the Subalpine zone at 9, to 11, feet.
The Alpine zone above 11, feet is a treeless zone made up of grasslands called tundra. Species requiring medium to high moisture occur along watercourses throughout all zones. Successful establishment of native shrubs may require supplemental moisture after planting. Once established, the watering frequency can be reduced or even eliminated if the plant was sited in its native environmental conditions. Container-grown shrubs can be planted at any time during the growing season. Container-grown native shrubs are often grown in a colorado native plants for landscaping table mixture of peat and bark, so the planting site should be amended with some organic material.
Another option would be to carefully wash off the media from the container grown plant and plant it bare root. Using native shrubs offers many benefits in addition to reduced maintenance.
Natives are part of our natural heritage and the ecosystems of Colorado. Native plant communities make Colorado visually distinct from the eastern, southern or western United States. Native plant gardens are wildlife habitats and each plant contributes to the biodiversity of the state.
Cox, Arapahoe County Extension horticulture agent retiredand I. Colorado State University, U. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado counties cooperating. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned. We have 6 regions.
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Established Native Shrubs for Colorado Landscapes � 7. Search the Site. Employment Volunteer. Small, rounded tree to large shrub; usually multi-stemmed; smooth, gray branches with red buds; fall foliage yellow; shade tolerant.
Foothills � Subalpine. Upright to spreading branches, small rounded leaves; clusters of small white flowers; blue-black fruit attractive to wildlife; orange to red fall color. Cercocarpus ledifolius.
Upper Sonoran 3a. Thick, colorado native plants for landscaping table, dark evergreen leaves curl during drought conditions; feathery, attractive seed heads; irregular growth habit; large shrub to small tree. Cercocarpus montanus. Foothills � Montane. Open growth habit; feathery, attractive seed heads; wedge-shaped leaves.
Cornus sericea. Plains � Montane. Red stems in winter; flat, white flower clusters followed by white to blue fruits attractive to birds; yellow to red fall color; streamside understory plant, shade tolerant. Large oval shrub; rigid, gnarled branches; Sonoran3a small, lobed olive green leaves, fragrant, creamy colored flowers, followed by feather-tailed seeds.
Forestiera neomexicana. Large shrub to small tree; dense, colorado native plants for landscaping table, grayish-green foliage, yellow flowers before leaves, blue-black fruit on females, light tan bark; yellow fall color; good for screening.
Fraxinus anomala. Large shrub or small tree, often multi-stemmed; found in dry canyons in southwest CO; yellow fall color; less available. Large shrub, often multi-stemmed; blue holly-like leaves, fragrant yellow flowers in spring followed by red berries.
Prunus americana. American plum, wild plum. Plains � Foothills. Thicket-forming; white flowers before leaves, fruit good for preserves; attracts wildlife; cold and drought tolerant; yellow to red fall color; found along canyons and slope bottoms, colorado native plants for landscaping table.
Prunus pensylvanica. Foothills 3b. Large shrub to small tree; thicket-forming; shiny green leaves; red edible fruit; shade tolerant, white flowers, red fall color. Prunus virginiana melanocarpa. Western chokecherry. Plains � Montane, Upper Sonoran. Irregular, branching shrub with shiny dark green leaves and elongated flower clusters; suckers to form thickets; dark purple fruit excellent for preserves; reddish-orange to yellow fall color.
Ptelea trifoliata. Plains � Foothills 3b. Shrub or small tree with three-parted foliage, drought and shade tolerant; small, fragrant flowers, yellow fall color, persistent hop-like fruit. Quercus undulata. Blue-green leathery leaves with wavy edges; leaves persist in winter; coarse bark; native to southeast CO; less available. Rhamnus smithii. Foothills 3a. Rhus glabra. Plains � Foothills, Upper Sonoran. Open, rounded thicket-forming shrub; bright green leaves; pyramidal clusters of yellow flowers produce fuzzy dark red fruits in fall that persist into winter; outstanding yellow-orange-red fall color.
Thicket-forming; gray-green narrow-leaved foliage, salinity tolerant; yellowish gray catkins before leaves; yellow fall color. Salix monticola. Rocky Mountain willow, yellow mountain willow. Broad, rounded shrub; narrow, deep green leaves, yellow fall color; arching yellow twigs attractive in winter; common Hearty Plants For Landscaping Zoom streamside willow found in mountain areas. Shepherdia argentea.
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