When I moved back to Denver from California I had to come to grips with a whole new style of gardening. During my 13 year return to Denver, I have learned to improvise and have adopted a rather “Darwinistic” approach to gardening.
The plants chosen for my list are all perennials (come back each year), require full to partial-sun, and are a USDA hardiness zone 5. All of these plants are amazingly easy to grow in Denver with minimal effort. I watch the water requirements, occasionally add soil amendments, and fertilize in spring.
1. True Geraniums (Geranium sanguineum) – Alternative names include: hardy geraniums, cranesbill geraniums and bloody cranesbill geraniums – and are not to be confused with annual or florist geraniums. These early to mid summer garden workhorses are gorgeous at the front of flower beds and come in pinks, magentas, blues and whites. The “bloody” in the cranesbill name refers to the brilliant orange and red foliage that develops in fall.
2). Roses – There are a good 100 roses growing in my backyard and I have only had two casualties in 13 years. My absolute favorites are the David Austin roses – these look like old fashioned English garden roses yet have the extended bloom time of modern varieties. Roses also come in all shapes and sizes from ground covers to shrub varieties and do surprisingly well in Denver gardens. http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/Advanced.asp
3). Catmint: (Nepeta faassenii) – The “Walker Low” variety is a great addition to the front or middle of a Denver garden border. It has a showy lavender bloom that begins in early spring and repeats again later in the summer when cut back. While it can get up to 2 feet plus, mine rarely do as I keep trimmed back after the first flush of flowers.
4). Salvia – The two perennials salvias that are lovely in my garden include S. x superb “May Night” which is a deep purple/blue color and S. Sclarea “Clary Sage” which produces a pale blue flowers. The “May Night” thrives in the most difficult (hot, dry, lousy soil) stretches of my garden.
5). Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Yarrow produces a terrific, lacey looking bloom that comes in white, pink, red and yellow. Although a long time summer bloomer – yarrow can get aggressive and invasive in well amended and well watered areas. I have learned to limit it to portions of my Denver garden where little else will survive.
6). Daylily (Hemerocallis) – These come in a number of colors and the grass-like leaves add nice texture to Denver gardens. I like the Stella D’ Oro variety as it can handle some dappled light and produces a intense yellow bloom that is stunning underneath an Austrian pine in my yard. Admittedly, I do have to dig the day lilies up every three years and divide them to ensure continued blooms.
7). Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) – Of course this list would be incomplete without a mention to our Colorado state flower. Columbines can be single or bi-colored and come in reds, yellows, and blue colors. They can get a bit ragged looking after a few years but many varieties readily reseed. They bloom in early summer and can be coaxed into a repeat bloom by deadheading (pinching of the spent flower).
8). Clematis Vines (Clematis X jackmanii) – My favorite is the Jackman’s purple variety which produces a rich purple bloom. Clematis do like cool feet so I have found it works to plant them under a tree to shade the roots and coax the vine upwards to receive the required sunlight.
9). Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifoila) – This bluish/lavender mid-summer bloomer thrives in Denver and produces well into early fall. It requires almost nothing in terms of attention other that plenty of space. It does easily reseed into other pockets of the garden but small plants are easily transplanted into a more desirable location.
10). Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) – While they can look unsightly or dead in Denver gardens until late July or August they are a worth the wait. Not only do they come alive while other plants are growing tired, they do indeed attract butterflies along with an occasional humming bird.
Feel free to take this list to your local Denver Garden Center. My favorite garden centers include: Tagawa’s in Parker, Paulino’s in Denver and O’Toole’s in Littleton, Lakewood and Westminster.
High Country Gardens is my favorite on-line resource for ordering Denver plants: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
Wondering what not to plant in Denver? See: http://denverrealestated.com/2009/05/11/moving-to-denver-proceed-with-caution-prior-to-selecting-these-5-plants-for-your-garden/
Michelle A. Potter
Denver Realtor
ReMax Professionals
