What We're Growing: Native Plants

Penstemon palmeri: Palmer’s Penstemon

• Perennial

• Full Sun

• USDA Zones 4-9

• Very Dry - Dry - Moderately Dry Soils

• Plant Spacing 20-24 inches

• Plant Height 2-4 feet

• Bloom Time Early - Mid Summer

• Native to Colorado

• Pollinator Friendly

• Deer Resistant

Palmer’s Penstemon is an exceptionally drought tolerant plant that just wants to be out in the heat and sunshine. Our area is actually at the edge of being too wet naturally for it! This Penstemon is one of the few of the genus that is actually fragrant and the large showy flowers are magnets for native bumble bees. This plant does best in very well draining sandy and gravelly soil and does not tolerate clay well. They also don’t like to be crowded by other plants, so make sure to give them some space. They’re great additions to any rock garden, crevice garden or xeriscape.

Penstemon strictus: Rocky Mountain Penstemon

• Perennial

• Full - Part Sun

• USDA Zones 3 - 9

• Dry - Moderately Dry Soil

• Plant Spacing 20 - 36 inches

• Plant Height 24 - 30 inches

• Bloom Time Late Spring - Early Summer

• Native To Eagle County

• Pollinator Friendly

Rocky Mountain Penstemon is a widely used native perennial in gardens already, and for good reason. This long lived, incredibly hardy and versatile plant can be used in irrigated gardens as well as in xeriscapes and rock gardens. It can thrive in a wide range of soils, including amended garden soil, sand, gravel, and even a little clay. This is a perfect plant for those looking to incorporate natives into their existing garden space. Rocky Mountain Penstemon will produce a second round of flowers if deadheaded, or leave the seedheads intact over winter to provide food for birds and to let it reseed.

Penstemon venustus: Venus Penstemon

• Perennial

• Full Sun

• USDA Zones 4-8

• Dry - Moderately Dry Soils

• Plant Spacing 10-12 inches

• Plant Height 12-36 inches

• Bloom Time Early - Mid Summer

• Native to Western United States (not present in Colorado)

• Pollinator Friendly

While not native to Colorado, Venus Penstemon is a great addition for any gardener who collects or just loves penstemons and wants to add a little more variety to the garden. These plants are drought tolerant once established but will likely perform best with just a little supplemental watering throughout the driest parts of the summer. These penstemons like well draining and even rocky soils making them great additions to rock and crevice gardens. Plant height depends on conditions and ecotypes and can range from one to three feet.

Phacelia sericea: Silky Phacelia

• Perennial

• Part Sun - Part Shade

• USDA Zones 2-5

• Dry - Moderately Dry Soils

• Plant Spacing 6-10 inches

• Plant Height 6-12 inches

• Bloom Time Mid Summer

• Native to Eagle County

• Pollinator Friendly

Silky Phacelia is an Alpine to SubAlpine plant and as such doesn’t like extreme heat. It does however like dry gravelly soils. This little plant can be a tough one to get going, but once you do it is worth it! Silky Phacelia is the perfect selection for a more sheltered lower elevation (<7,500ft) rock garden or a fully exposed garden at higher elevations (>8,000ft). If you’re an experienced rock gardener and looking for something native and fun to add, try Silky Phacelia.

Pulsatilla patens/Pulsatilla nuttaliana/Anemone patens: Native Pasque Flower

• Perennial

• Full - Part Sun

• USDA Zones 3-6

• Dry - Moderately Dry Soils

• Plant Spacing 6-8 inches

• Plant Height 6 inches

• Bloom Time Early - Mid Spring

• Native to Eagle County

• Pollinator Friendly

Pasque flower is a very early bloomer and is a perfect substitute for non-native spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils. While the leaves and seed heads will last into summer they will die back well before the rest of your plants, so don’t be discouraged if you get to July and your Pasque Flower has disappeared. It loves alkaline soils with a pH around 7-8.

Ratibida columnifera: Prairie Coneflower

• Perennial

• Full - Part Sun

• USDA Zones 3-9

• Dry - Medium Dry - Average

• Plant Spacing 12-16 inches

• Plant Height 1.5 - 3 feet

• Bloom Time Mid - Late Summer

• Colorado Native

• Pollinator Friendly

Ratibida columnifera is a very easy native plant to start off with if you’re new to growing native plants. It can take a wide range of soil conditions and will fit in just fine with a traditionally irrigated garden as well as in a xeriscape or rock garden. It’s also a wonderful option for meadowscapes. Each flower head on this plant will make hundreds of seeds, making it a favorite of songbirds. It also means that it will reseed readily throughout the landscape.

Ratibida columnifera pulcherrima: Mexican Hat

• Perennial

• Full - Part Sun

• USDA Zones 3-8

• Dry - Medium Dry - Average Soils

• Plant Spacing 12-16 inches

• Plant Height 1.5 - 3 feet

• Bloom Time Mid - Late Summer

• Colorado Native

• Pollinator Friendly

This beautiful variety of R. columnifera gets flowers that range from red/orange to deep burgundy. It makes a striking display when planted with the straight yellow form of Prairie Coneflower. Like the yellow form, Mexican Hat prefers dry to moderately dry well-draining soils but can grow in an irrigated space as well. The lovely seedheads create beautiful winter interest in the garden if left standing and will also provide songbirds with a winter food source.

Sphaeralcea coccinea: Scarlet Globemallow

• Perennial/Biennial

• Full Sun

• USDA Zones 3-8

• Very Dry - Dry Soils

• Plant Spacing 8-14 inches

• Plant Height 12 inches

• Bloom Time Early - Late Summer

• Native To Eagle County

• Deer Resistant

• Pollinator Friendly

This wonderful little iconic western plant is definitely one of our favorites. There aren’t very many native plants out there with flowers of this particular shade of orange. It is such a treat any time we go hiking and find a patch of Scarlet Globemallow blooming. And it’s even more of a treat when it blooms in our gardens. These plants are true desert dwellers, and like hot, dry and very poor soils. They can grow in clay soils as well as sandy and gravelly soils. Globemallows in general are not very aggressive plants, so don’t plant it with any fast-spreading ground covers or overly aggressive plants. They’re also not incredibly long-lived but can re-seed, providing their own replacements.

Stanleya pinnata: Prince’s Plume

• Perennial

• Full sun

• USDA Zones 4-9

• Very Dry - Dry Soil

• Plant Spacing 20-30 inches

• Plant Height 24 - 36 inches

• Bloom Time Late Spring - Mid Summer

• Native to Eagle County

• Deer Resistant

• VERY POLLINATOR FRIENDLY

Prince’s Plume is an amazing and, in our opinion, a very underutilized plant for xeriscape and rock gardens. These plants tolerate sand, clay, and gravel soils and are very drought tolerant. The large yellow flower stalks can bloom for weeks or even months in the right conditions and are constantly covered in a wide range of native pollinators. We’ve even seen hummingbirds frequent these plants, when they can make their way through all the bees and butterflies. If you have large areas in your xeric or native landscape that need a robust plant with a unique look, look no further!

Townsendia hookeri: Hookers Easter Daisy

• Perennial

• Full Sun

• USDA Zones 3-7

• Very Dry - Dry - Moderately Dry Soil

• Plant Spacing 3-6 inches

• Plant Height 1-2 inches

• Bloom time Mid Spring - Early Summer

• Pollinator Friendly

These adorable little plants are some of the first blooms available in the spring for our native pollinators. Townsendia hookeri likes well-drained sandy to clay soils and is very drought tolerant. When in bloom this plant can be so covered in flowers that one can hardly see the leaves. Older plants can form robust mounds. This small plant is perfect for rock gardens, crevice gardens and troughs.

Key Takeaways

• Learn which native plants thrive in Eagle County's unique climate

• Find drought-tolerant flowers perfect for high-altitude xeriscapes

• Support pollinators with deer-resistant, eco-friendly plant choices

• Discover detailed plant profiles tailored to mountain gardeners

• Get tips for creating year-round color with native perennials