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“Native plants” refers to any and all plants that have evolved in a given geographic area, such as the Colorado Front Range– casting a wide and wonderful net of plants that can be used in your landscape to both celebrate your region’s natural character and provide crucial ecological benefits. From a practical standpoint, plants that are native to the semi-arid West are generally more tolerant of lean soils, hot and dry summers, and freezing, snowy winters, making them naturally low-maintenance and resilient. Plus, they are perfectly suited to the birds and pollinators that call this area home.
Design tips:
- Native plants are assets in any landscape, whether you use a few or commit to an all-native approach. Try not to get stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset.
- One of the advantages of native plants is their adaptation to local soils, so resist the urge to amend soil heavily. Save soil improvements for problem areas like construction fill or severely compacted zones.
- Even natives need to be matched to site conditions like sun exposure and drainage patterns.
- Native plant selections availability varies widely between nurseries; shop around to find the widest variety of species.