The plants in our garden are all native to Colorado. Variously adapted to the colossal range of conditions found in our state, these plants are tough and beautiful. We use The Flora of Colorado by Jennifer Ackerfield (BRIT Press, 2nd ed, 2022) to determine scientific names and native status.
The following list contains all of the intentional plants growing in our garden (updated periodically to reflect additions and losses), sorted by ecological garden zones and growth form.
Prairie Grassland Garden
3,500 to 6,000 feet elevation (1200 to 2000 meters). Rolling grassland in the eastern third of Colorado, with sandy soil and rock outcroppings.
Shrubs
- Leadplant – Amorpha canescens
- False Indigo – Amorpha fruticosa
- Dwarf Wild Indigo – Amorpha nana
- Sand Sagebrush – Artemisia filifolia
- Rabbitbrush – Chrysothamnus nauseosus / Ericameria nauseosa
- Sand Cherry – Prunus pumila var. besseyi
Herbaceous Plants
- Big Bluestem – Andropogon gerardii
- Sweetgrass – Anthoxanthum (Hierochloe) odoratum
- Side-oats Grama – Bouteloua curtipendula
- Blue Grama – Bouteloua gracilis (Syn. Chondrosum gracile)
- Buffalograss – Buchloe dactyloides
- Purple Lovegrass – Eragrostis spectabilis
- Indian Ricegrass – Eriocoma (Acnatherum / Oryzopsis) hymenoides
- Arizona Fescue – Festuca arizonica
- June-grass – Koeleria macrantha
- Mountain Muhly – Muhlenbergia montana
- Switchgrass – Panicum virgatum
- Western Wheatgrass – Pascopyrum smithii
- Little Bluestem – Schizachyrium scoparium
- Needle-and-thread – Stipa (Hesperostipa) comata
- Sand Dropseed – Sporobolus cryptandrus
- Prairie Dropseed – Sporobolus heterolepis
- Indian Grass – Sorghastrum nutans
- Nodding Onion – Allium cernuum
- Prickly Poppy – Argemone polyanthemos
- Showy Milkweed / Common Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa
- Wine Cups / Poppy Mallow – Callirhoe involucrata
- Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush – Castilleja integra
- Rocky Mountain Beeplant – Cleome serrulata (annual)
- Buffalo Gourd – Cucurbita foetidissima
- Purple Prairie Clover – Dalea purpurea
- Narrowleaf Coneflower – Echinacea angustifolia
- Prairie Smoke / Old Man’s Whiskers – Geum triflorum
- Plains Verbena – Glandularia (Verbena) bipinnatifida
- Common Sunflower – Helianthus annuus
- Maximilian Sunflower – Helianthus maximiliani
- Bush Morning Glory – Ipomoea leptophylla
- Rocky Mountain Blazing Star – Liatris ligulistylis
- Gayfeather – Liatris punctata
- Wild Blue Flax – Linum lewisii
- White Stemless Evening Primrose – Oenothera cespitosa (caespitosa)
- Yellow Stemless Evening Primrose – Oenothera howardii
- Yellow Sundrops – Oenothera serrulata
- Shell Leaf Penstemon – Penstemon grandiflorus
- One-sided Penstemon – Penstemon secundiflorus
- Mexican Hat – Ratibida columnifera
- Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia hirta
- Golden-glow – Rudbeckia laciniata var. ampla
- Blue Sage – Salvia azurea var. grandiflora
- Smooth Goldenrod – Solidago missouriensis
- Stiff Goldenrod – Solidago rigida
- Plains Greenthread – Thelesperma filifolium
- Prairie Golden Banner – Thermopsis rhombifolia
- Wooly Verbena – Verbena stricta
- Western Ironweed – Vernonia baldwinii
Riparian Garden
Plants that grow along the banks of streams and lakes, and in moist areas.
Trees
- Alder – Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia
- Rocky Mountain Birch – Betula occidentalis
- Paper Birch – Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera
- Narrowleaf Cottonwood – Populus angustifolia
- Plains Cottonwood – Populus deltoides var. monilifera
- Peachleaf Willow – Salix amygdaloides
Shrubs
- Red-osier Dogwood – Cornus sericea
- Beaked Hazelnut – Corylus cornuta
- Roundleaf Hawthorn – Crataegus chrysocarpa
- Black Twinberry – Lonicera involucrata
- Chokecherry – Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa
- Wild Plum – Prunus americana
- Pin-Cherry – Prunus pensylvanica
- Golden Currant – Ribes aureum
- Wild Rose – Rosa woodsii
- Thimbleberry – Rubus parviflorus var. parviflorus
- Bluestem Willow – Salix irrorata
- Coyote Willow / Sandbar Willow – Salix exigua
- Red Elderberry – Sambucus racemosa
- Buffalo-berry / Silver Buffalo-berry – Shepherdia argentea
Herbaceous Plants
- Woodland Agrimony – Agrimonia striata
- Thimble Windlflower – Anemone cylindrica
- Silverweed – Argentina (Potentilla) anserina
- Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnata
- Lady Fern – Athyrium filix-femina
- Clustered Field Sedge – Carex praegracilis
- Fox sedge – Carex stipata
- Virgin’s Bower – Clematis ligusticifolia
- Horsetail – Equisetum arvense
- Spotted Joe-Pye Weed – Eutrochium (Eupatorium) maculatum
- Bottle Gentian – Gentiana andrewsii
- Mountain Sneezeweed – Helenium autumnale
- Tall Marsh Sunflower – Helianthus nuttallii
- New Mexico Hops – Humulus neomexicanus
- Rocky Mountain Iris – Iris missouriensis
- Cardinal Flower – Lobelia cardinalis
- Great Blue Lobelia – Lobelia siphilitica
- Wild Mint – Mentha arvensis
- Yellow Monkey-Flower – Mimulus guttatus
- Beebalm / Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia
- Thicket Creeper – Parthenocissus vitacea
- Indian Potato – Sagittaria latifolia
- Pink Checkermallow – Sidalcea neomexicana
- Purple Meadowrue – Thalictrum dasycarpum
- Broadleaf Cattail – Typha latifolia
- Blue Vervain – Verbena hastata
- Wild Grape – Vitis riparia
Foothills Garden
6,000 to 8,000 feet elevation (2000 – 2700 meters). The foothills are a transition between the prairies and the mountains along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Ponderosa pine forest with Rocky Mountain juniper, mountain mahogany and three-leaf sumac.
Trees
- Hackberry – Celtis reticulata
- Rocky Mountain Juniper – Juniperus scopulorum
- Ponderosa Pine – Pinus ponderosa
Shrubs
- Kinnikinnick – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Prairie Redroot – Ceanothus herbaceus
- Mountain Mahogany – Cercocarpus montanus
- Snakeweed – Gutierrezia sarothrae
- Oregon Grape – Mahonia repens
- Shrubby Cinquefoil – Potentilla fruticosa (Syn. Pentaphylloides floribunda, Dasiphora fruticosa)
- Bitterbrush – Purshia tridentata
- Smooth Sumac – Rhus glabra
- Three-leaf Sumac / Lemonade Berry – Rhus trilobata
- Wax Currant – Ribes cereum
- Wild Rose – Rosa woodsii
- Boulder Raspberry – Rubus deliciosus
- Yucca – Yucca glauca
Herbaceous Plants
- Yarrow – Achillea millefolium (Syn. A. lanulosa)
- Giant Hyssop / Anise Hyssop – Agastache foeniculum
- Wild Onion – Allium textile
- Red Windflower – Anemone multifida
- Rosy Pussytoes – Antennaria rosea
- Spreading Dogbane – Apocynum androsaemifolium
- Fringed Sage – Artemisia frigida
- Prairie Sage – Artemisia ludoviciana
- Showy Milkweed / Common Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa
- Purple Aster – Aster laevis / Symphyotrichum laeve
- Harebell – Campanula rotundifolia
- Sun Sedge – Carex inops ssp. heliophila
- Prairie Mouse-ear – Cerastium arvense
- Golden Smoke / Scrambled Eggs – Corydalis aurea
- Purple Prairie Clover – Dalea purpurea
- Leafy Cinquefoil – Drymocallis fissa / Potentilla fissa
- Western Wallflower – Erysimum asperum
- Spreading Buckwheat – Eriogonum effusum
- Wild Buckwheat / Sulphur Flower – Eriogonum umbellatum
- Firewheel / Indian Blanket – Gaillardia aristata
- Indian Blanketflower – Gaillardia pulchella (annual)
- Wild Geranium – Geranium caespitosum
- Wild Licorice – Glycyrrhiza lepidota
- Gumweed – Grindelia squarrosa
- Whiskbroom Parsley – Harbouria trachypleura
- Bush Sunflower – Helianthus pumilus
- Showy Goldeneye – Heliomeris multiflora
- Golden-Aster – Heterotheca villosa
- Fringed Puccoon – Lithospermum incisum
- Ten-Petal Blazingstar – Mentzelia decapetala
- Bluebells / Tall Chiming Bells – Mertensia lanceolata
- Beebalm / Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia
- Common Evening Primrose – Oenothera villosa
- Miner’s Candle – Oreocarya (Cryptantha) virgata
- White Locoweed – Oxytropis sericea
- Lambert’s Locoweed – Oxytropis lambertii
- Skyblue Penstemon – Penstemon angustifolius
- Blue Mist / Low Penstemon – Penstemon virens
- Tall Penstemon – Penstemon virgatus var. asa-grayii
- Ground Cherry – Physalis virginiana
- Front Range Twinpod – Physaria bellii
- Pasque Flower – Pulsatilla nuttalliana / patens
- Yellow Stonecrop – Sedum lanceolatum
- Compass Plant – Silphium laciniatum
- Common Goldenrod – Solidago canadensis
- Scarlet Globemallow / Cowboy’s Delight – Sphaeralcea coccinea
- White Aster – Symphyotrichum (Aster) ericoides
- Smooth White Aster – Symphyotrichum (Aster) porteri
- Golden Banner – Thermopsis divaricarpa
- Showy Townsendia – Townsendia grandiflora
- Easter Daisy – Townsendia hookeri
- Western Spiderwort – Tradescantia occidentalis
Montane Garden
8,000 to 10,000 feet elevation (2500 – 3500 meters). A rich forest of lodgepole pine, blue spruce, Douglas-fir, aspen groves, and meadows.
Trees
- White Fir – Abies concolor
- Colorado Blue Spruce – Picea pungens
- Bristlecone Pine – Pinus aristata
- Lodgepole Pine – Pinus contorta var. latifolia
- Limber Pine – Pinus flexilis
- Southwestern White Pine – Pinus strobiformis
- Quaking Aspen – Populus tremuloides
- Douglas-fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii
- Mountain Ash – Sorbus scopulina
Shrubs
- Rocky Mountain Maple – Acer glabrum
- Saskatoon / Western Serviceberry – Amelanchier alnifolia
- Velvety Buckbrush – Ceanothus velutinus
- Waxflower – Jamesia americana
- Common Juniper – Juniperus communis
- Mountain Ninebark – Physocarpus monogynus
- Whitestem Gooseberry – Ribes inerme
- Prickly Rose – Rosa acicularis ssp. sayi
- Wild Red Raspberry – Rubus idaeus
- Mountain Willow – Salix monticola
- Snowberry – Symphoricarpos albus
- High Bush Cranberry – Viburnum edule
Herbaceous Plants
- Baneberry – Actaea rubra
- Pearly Everlasting – Anaphalis margaritacea
- Canadian Anemone – Anemonastrum canadense (Anemone canadensis)
- Sunloving Catspaw / Small Leaf Pussytoes – Antennaria parvifolia
- Yellow Columbine – Aquilegia chrysantha
- Rocky Mountain Columbine – Aquilegia coerulea
- Red Three-awn Grass – Aristida purpurea
- Sugar Bowls – Clematis hirsutissima
- Santa Fe Aster – Dieteria (Machaeranthera) bigelovii
- Fireweed – Chamerion / Epilobium angustifolium
- Aspen Daisy – Erigeron speciosus
- Wild Strawberry – Fragaria virginiana
- Meadow Gentian – Gentiana affinis
- Sticky Purple Geranium – Geranium viscosissimum
- Yellow Avens – Geum alllepicum
- Owl’s Claws / Orange Sneezeweed – Hymenoxys hoopesii
- Bigleaf Lupine – Lupinus polyphyllus
- Silky Lupine – Lupinus sericeus
- Star-flowered Solomon’s Seal – Maianthemum stellatum
- Sawsepal Penstemon – Penstemon glaber
- Meadow Penstemon – Penstemon rydbergii
- Low Penstemon / Blue Mist Penstemon – Penstemon virens
- Dusky Penstemon – Penstemon whippleanus
- Silky Phacelia – Phacelia sericea
- Jacob’s Ladder – Polemonium foliosissimum
- Slender Cinquefoil – Potentilla gracilis
- Silvery Cinquefoil – Potentilla hipppiana
- Giant Goldenrod – Solidago gigantea
- Mountain Goldenrod – Solidago simplex
- Mountain Golden Banner – Thermopsis montana
- Early Blue Violet – Viola adunca
Southwest Garden
Plants from Southern and Western Colorado. Pinyon-juniper woodland with gambel oak, tall western sagebrush, and rabbitbrush.
Trees
- Bigtooth Maple – Acer grandidentatum var. grandidentatum
- One-seeded Juniper – Juniperus monosperma
- Piñon Pine – Pinus edulis
- Hoptree / Wafer Ash – Ptelea trifoliata
- Gambel Oak – Quercus gambelii
Shrubs
- Black Sagebrush – Artemisia nova
- Sagebrush / Tall Western Sagebrush – Artemisia tridentata
- Fourwing Saltbush – Atriplex canescens
- Fremont’s Barberry – Berberis fremontii
- Narrow-leaf Mountain Mahogany – Cercocarpus intricatus
- Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany – Cercocarpus ledifolius
- Rabbitbrush – Chrysothamnus nauseosus / Ericameria nauseosa
- Mormon Tea – Ephedra viridis
- Apache Plume – Fallugia paradoxa
- Fendlerbush – Fendlera rupicola
- Mountain Spray – Holodiscus dumosus (Syn. H. discolor)
- Winterfat – Krascheninnikovia (Eurotia / Ceratoides) lanata
- Pale Wolfberry / Goji Berry – Lycium pallidum
- Mock Orange – Philadelphus microphyllus
- Cliffrose – Purshia stansburiana
- Indian Banana Yucca – Yucca baccata
- Spanish Bayonet – Yucca harrimaniae
Herbaceous Plants
- Nettle-leaf Giant Hyssop – Agastache urticifolia
- Bluestar – Amsonia jonesii
- Antelopehorns – Asclepias asperula
- Whorled Milkweed – Asclepias subverticillata
- Butterfly Weed – Asclepias tuberosa
- Chocolate Flower – Berlandiera lyrata
- False Boneset – Brickellia eupatorioides
- Yellow Beeplant / Yellow Spiderflower – Cleome lutea (annual)
- Sacred Datura – Datura wrightii
- Engelmann Daisy – Engelmannia peristenia
- Antelope Buckwheat – Eriogonum jamesii
- Sand Dune Wallflower – Erysimum capitatum
- Fairy Trumpet / Skyrocket – Ipomopsis aggregata
- Granite Prickly Phlox – Linanthus pungens
- Blackfoot Daisy – Melampodium leucanthum
- Colorado Four-o’clock – Mirabilis multiflora
- Prairie Evening Primrose – Oenothera albicaulis
- Southwestern Penstemon – Penstemon barbatus
- Mat Penstemon – Penstemon caespitosus
- Dusty Penstemon – Penstemon comarrhenus
- Firecracker Penstemon – Penstemon eatonii
- Toadflax Beardtongue – Penstemon linarioides
- Bridge Penstemon – Penstemon rostriflorus
- Rocky Mountain Penstemon – Penstemon strictus
- Mexican Hat – Ratibida columnifera
- Broom Senecio – Senecio spartioides
- Common Goldenrod – Solidago canadensis
- Munro’s Globemallow – Sphaeralcea munroana
- Aromatic Aster – Symphyotrichum (Aster) oblongifolium
- Plains Zinnia – Zinnia grandiflora
- Candelabra Cactus – Cylindropuntia imbricata
- Plateau Cholla – Cylindropuntia whipplei
- Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus – Echinocereus coccineus
- Strawberry Cactus – Echinocereus fendleri
- Purple Candle Cactus – Echinocereus reichenbachii
- Claret Cup Cactus – Echinocereus triglochidiatus
- Hedgehog Cactus – Echinocereus viridiflorus
- Spiny Star Cactus – Escobaria (Coryphantha / Pelecyphora) vivipara
- Brittle Prickly Pear – Opuntia fragilis
- Purple Prickly Pear – Opuntia macrocentra
- Prairie Rose Prickly Pear – Opuntia macrorhiza
- Tulip Prickly Pear – Opuntia phaeacantha
- Prickly Pear Cactus – Opuntia polyacantha
- Mountain Ball Cactus – Pediocactus simpsonii
Rabbitbrush Loop
Boxelder – Acer negundo
Quaking Aspen – Populus tremuloides