If you’re looking to add some color and life to your Denver landscape design, then you need to fill your garden and outdoor space with flowers. There’s simply no better (or simpler) way to add a splash of color and beauty to your outdoor space then by planting flowers in your gardens and throughout your landscape. Even better, by planting native flowers, your overall landscape design will experience a range of benefits and even save you time and money.
But if you have a Colorado garden or landscape, where do you even begin? Well, we’re here to help. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at some of the most popular native flowers to add to your Colorado garden. While this list is in no way comprehensive, it should give you a good start to bring your landscape to life.
Why Should You Go Native With Your Colorado Landscape Design?
Before we review some of those beautiful flowers, it’s important to understand why it’s so critical to consider native flowers for your space. Native flowers, shrubs, and trees don’t just look great in your space, but they can even save you time and money in the long run for a variety of key reasons. Native flowers can also help blend your outdoor space in more naturally with the surrounding environment
Interested in learning more on why you should consider native plants and flowers? Well, keep reading for some key reasons why.
Save time: native flowers have evolved for countless years to not just survive in your local climate, but to thrive. They’ve adapted to the unique climate conditions of your region, such as rainfall, temperature, and even the amount of sunshine and wind, to survive through it all and prosper. As a result, you’ll spend far less time on maintenance or going out to replace your flowers when they’ve suddenly been killed off due to weather.
Cut costs: on top of that, native flowers in your garden can also protect your wallet. Since these flowers have adapted to your local environment, they have a much better chance to survive through various seasons—meaning you won’t have to replace them as often. Additionally, since they can survive so well, you won’t need to spend as much on chemicals or pesticides. This also makes native flowers a far more sustainable and safe option for your landscape.
Create habitat: habitat loss is a major threat to all forms of life on our planet. While you can never completely make up for the impact of lost habitat, you can still create a local habitat on your landscape by using native plants in your space. Native flowers and plants can serve as an important food source, or even a home, for many different types of animals. This could include local birds, bees, and neighbors like deer and squirrels.
Popular Native Flowers for Your Colorado Garden
When it comes to choosing native flowers for your Colorado garden or overall landscape design, there’s no doubt that you certainly have a lot of options. From coneflowers to the eye-catching Indian paintbrush, there are so many colors, hues, and unique shapes to truly bring your outdoor space to life this year.
Looking to add some color to your space this year in a sustainable manner? Take a look at these popular Colorado native flowers:
- Rocky Mountain Columbine: it only makes sense to start our list with the Colorado state flower, right? If you’ve ever seen a photograph of Colorado in the spring or summer, there’s a good chance that there will be a cluster of Columbine in the foreground. These flowers are renowned for the vibrant mix of purple and white with an eye-catching yellow in the middle. Growing roughly two feet tall at a max, Rocky Mountain Columbine can attract birds and butterflies to your space.
- Indian Paintbrush: this splash of red and orange can really bring your Denver landscape to life this year. With cup-like bracts rising from the center, the colorful “petals” are actually modified leaves. This native flower grows great in full sun and is known to be a favorite flower for visiting hummingbirds.
- Rocky Mountain Penstemon: this native flower is known for being drought-tolerant and easy to maintain throughout your landscape. With noticeable trumpet-like petals, the sweet nectar of the Penstemon attracts both bees and hummingbirds. This native flower will instantly spark some life into your garden. And for anyone into a xeriscape landscape design, we highly recommend this local flower.
- Black-eyed Susan: these eye-catching flowers will add a vibrant hue of yellow to your outdoor space. Found pretty commonly throughout North America, the Black-eyed Susan does well in a variety of spaces and can handle the Colorado elevation and climate just fine.
- Purple Coneflower: ranging throughout various shades of white, pink, to even darker reds and purples, the purple coneflower is a popular pick for many Denver homeowners. Looking like a common daisy, this flower is easily to identify for how its petals lay out low shaping it just like a cone.
Conclusion – Popular Native Flowers for Your Colorado Garden
If you feel like your Colorado landscape is looking a little dreary or dull—even in the midst of a beautiful summer—then you need to make a change. And what’s the best way to add some instant color to your outdoor space? Bring in some flowers. But when you do, consider going native with your flower selection. Not only do native flowers look beautiful and help your space fit in more naturally with your surrounding environment, they also offer a range of additional benefits for your space and the planet.
Native flowers can help you conserve water, save both time and cash on your yardwork, and also help you protect the environment by preserving natural resources and limiting your use of excessive pesticides and potentially harmful fertilizer. It’s clear now. If you’re in Colorado, consider using some of the beautiful native flowers that call our state home to truly make your space something special.
