Colorado natives: flowers and function in the home landscape

As a gardener in the urban Front Range, each season brings new challenges, or the same challenges just in a di erent order. Rabbits, salt, cold temperatures, hot temperatures, drought, foot tra c — sometimes the list seems never-ending. However, an almost foolproof way to ensure the success in the home garden is to look to our native plants for inspiration.

I spoke with some of my colleagues at Denver Botanic Gardens and we came up with three of our favorites to tackle tough conditions while delivering on ower power. ese plants are all native to Colorado and provide signi cant ecological bene t to our pollinators. ey are all adaptable to our urban soils and should only require supplemental water during the rst year of establishment.

Chocolate ower (Berlandiera lyrata) is extra cold-hardy member of the daisy family is a garden powerhouse. e bright yellow owers oat atop gray-green mounding foliage, and last from early spring to frost. e golden pinwheels surround dark red centers that are full