Why Plant Native in Colorado

I have learned quite a bit over these past 20 years living in a high plains desert. I've lost more perennial plants than I can count and realized the plants of my childhood in Connecticut will not thrive here. Why? alkaline soil, intense sunlight, fluctuations in temperature, soil ranging from clay to sandy loam and as little as 17” of rainfall per year.

There is one child in every family who takes to gardening with a passion, that was me and later my first-born daughter. Stacey encouraged me to read “Bringing Nature Home”, by Doug Tallmay. Thus began a whole different approach to our new ¾ acre property. Let me walk you through this journey in the hope I can inspire you to work with nature and have success and enjoyment in gardening.

1.      Draw up a plan, take into consideration all elevations of your home, sunlight, water drainage, access and maintenance required.

2.      Do your research, plant what thrives here and will survive under low water and other challenging conditions.

3.      Have your soil tested to understand what adjustments you may need to make.

4.      Consider installing drip irrigation to your low water use plants, you will find lots of YouTube videos on this subject

5.      If removing sod or fields of weeds, don't spray with chemicals, solarize the area, again watch YouTube videos for directions. Pesticides are to be used on a limited basis and rarely.

6.      The plants native to Colorado will do best, next to that is a hybrid of native called plant select and xeric “low water” plants. Be sure to irrigate with all low water plants in all areas to eliminate killing those that need more.  Ie; annuals.

7.      Leave the seed heads on plants through the winter as food for the birds. The stalks can house solitary native bees.

8.      Keep patches of bare soil for ground dwelling native bees, and for reseeding of native plants.  Some are annual or biannual. 

Why native plants other than the reasons given above? Well .... There are over 900 native bees and pollinators, such as flies, wasps, moths, butterflies, beetles, hummingbirds and bats etc. These insects have evolved with the native to Colorado plants which are supplying nectar and are host plants to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch and become caterpillars, the native birds pick some up to feed their young. It takes approximately 400 insects to feed one small nest of fledglings.

Unless we grow native plants in our yards we will lose many local pollinators. The European honeybee population is in trouble, mites and hive collapse is prevalent. Without pollinators, many of our food crops will not survive. When the time comes and we are restricted on water usage, many landscapes will not survive without irrigation, but an established, native landscape will. I urge you to support our local wildlife and plan for climate change as well as adapt to the environment rather than trying to bend it to your will.

Please read “Suburbitat” by Jim Tolstrup of High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC) in Loveland, CO.

Support HPEC through the purchase of native plants grown on site. Visit the natural habitat they have created and support your local nurseries who are making great efforts to grow native plants, which is more difficult and time-consuming. Let them know you appreciate their efforts while there. Consider joining a native plant society for free plants through swaps and more to educate and promote supporting native wildlife. Wild Ones is a national nonprofit. Northern Colorado Native Plant Society (NoCoNPS) is another great organization to join. One can order native plants at High Country Gardens via mail order.To all my fellow gardeners, if you plant natives, the pollinators will come!

Patty Wasson, Greeley Morning Garden Club