Colors of Colorado Designed by Kenton Seth of Paintbrush Gardens
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2018 garden in a box: Garden Info Sheet Colors of Colorado Designed by Kenton Seth of Paintbrush Gardens 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 - Blue Grama Grass 4 - Prairie Red Coneflower 7 - Sea Kale 2 - Butterfly Weed 5 - Red Torch Lily 8 - Sulphur Flower 3 - Chocolate Flower 6 - Scarlet Bugler Penstemon Blue Grama Grass Butterfly Weed Latin Name: Bouteloua gracilis Latin Name: Asclepias tuberosa 1 Mature Height: 1-2’ 2 Mature Height: 18-36” Mature Spread: 1-2’ Mature Spread: 18-24” Hardy To: 8,500’ Hardy To: 8,000’ Water: Very Low Water: Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Tan or Blonde Flower Color: Orange-Yellow Flower Season: Summer to Fall Flower Season: Mid to Late Summer Attracts: Small Birds Attracts: Butterflies Description: Bouteloua gracilis is a greyish-green native grass Description: This butterfly magnet is comprised of stout stems commonly found in the Rocky Mountains. This attractive and hardy covered with narrow, dark green leaves leading to umbrella-like grass will compliment and add intrigue to any established garden. clusters of small, vivid orange or yellow flowers. Asclepias tuberosa Bouteloua gracilis will stay colorful all the way through the fall is native to eastern North America and is most commonly found season. Its delicate blonde “eyelash-like” spikelets grow horizontally in dry fields, prairies, and along roadsides. It needs about two to on the grass stems. Its seeds are eaten by small birds in the fall. P.S. three years to reach full maturity and establish its extensive root This is the Colorado state grass! system, but it’s worth the wait! Once established, this attractive pe- Care: This adaptable grass does well in almost all soils aside from rennial will live for years and become thicker each year. The flowers heavy and very wet clay. Cut back in mid-spring just before new are a perfect source of nectar for the monarch butterflies and the growth emerges. leaves are a good food source for caterpillars, and, unlike other milkweeds, this species does not contain milky-sapped stems. Care: Its deep tap root makes it a poor candidate for transplant. Flower clusters turn into attractive seed pods that burst open and are easily transported by the wind. Chocolate Flower Prairie Red Coneflower 3 Latin Name: Berlandiera lyrata 4 Latin Name: Ratibida columnifera pulcherrima Mature Height: 1-2’ Mature Height: 18-24” Mature Spread: 12-18” Mature Spread: 18-24” Hardy To: 6,000’ Hardy To: 8,000’ Water: Low Water: Very Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Yellow Flower Color: Mahogany Red Flower Season: Summer to Fall Flower Season: Early to Late Summer Attracts: Bees Description: As a U.S. native, the Ratibia columnifera pulcherrima Description: Native to the plains and grasslands of the Southwest is commonly found throughout the Southwest uplands in prairies United States, Berlandiera lyrata has a strong tolerance for heat and along roadsides. Its lacy textured, bright green leaves adorn and drought. This bright yellow, daisy-like flower will add a ray wiry stems which are often capped with dark red petals. These of light and color to any garden. And, with the Berlandiera lyrata, ray florets are less common and can vary in color from deep red to your mornings just got a little sweeter! This cheerful delight emits brownish purple and sometimes feature a yellow border. Regard- a distinct milk chocolate fragrance especially in the early morning less of the color, these easy to grow perennials are guaranteed hours. If you’re looking for an extra chocolaty pick-me-up, the showstoppers in the garden! Sometimes called “Mexican Hat”, the fragrance can be produced by plucking the ray florets from the colorful flower heads resemble the traditional broad-brimmed, flower head. Enjoy its sweet scent, colorful display, and long-last- high-centered sombreros, or hats, worn during Mexican fiestas. ing blooms in your landscape from the first sign of summer to the This plant is very drought-tolerant, not fussy about soils, and a first frost of fall. heavy bloomer that will produce hundreds of flowers once mature. Care: This hardy and easy to care for perennial is adaptable to a Care: Deadhead to encourage rebloom. If you want this plant to wide spectrum of conditions. However, it tends to prefer soil that is reseed, then after flowering, let the seed completely mature (the not amended and thrives best in full sun locations. Once estab- cones will become dry and brown). Can divide or thin out every 3 lished, it requires very little water, and, if overwatered, it will cause years to maintain vigor. the plant to become leggy. Be sure to remove spent flowers to encourage new growth. Red Torch Lily Scarlet Bugler Penstemon 5 Latin Name: Kniphofia ‘Stark’s Early Hybrids’ 6 Latin Name: Penstemon barbatus Mature Height: 24-30” Mature Height: 2-3’ Mature Spread: 18-24” Mature Spread: 12-18” Hardy To: 8,000’ Hardy To: 8,500’ Water: Low Water: Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Red to Yellow Flower Color: Scarlet Flower Season: Mid to Late Summer Flower Season: Mid-Summer Attracts: Hummingbirds Attracts: Hummingbirds Description: This native to the high plateaus of Africa has proven Resistant To: Deer surprisingly strong at elevation. The ‘Stark’s Early Hybrids’ variety is Description: Commonly found at lower-moderate elevations in bred for a propensity to re-bloom its burning pokers above broad, the Four Corners of the United States, Penstemon barbatus fea- grassy, spear-like foliage. The Torch Lily is a sun lover, and it can tures loose spires of reddish-orange tubular flowers on tall stalks. grow in any well-drained soil. Its basal foliage is grayish-green, and somewhat evergreen. This Care: The Torch Lily does well in hot and dry climates, but when its clump-forming perennial offers height and movement to the gar- blooms are forming, a good supply of water is appreciated. Dead- den with its tall and airy structure, and it is a magnet for humming- heading will prolong the growing period. In spring, once the cold birds. Enjoy its decadent color and striking blooms all summer has passed, cut all foliage back to about 3 inches from the ground long! to rejuvenate. Dig up and divide clumps in the spring as well - Care: Give this plant some room, as it does not like to be crowded. unless it is flowering, then wait until after flowering is complete. Remove spent heads to prolong blooming. After flowering, cut In the fall, once flowering has finished, remove unsightly looking back to basal foliage (or the lowest part of the stem) to clean up leaves and any dead flower stalks that remain. Foliage can be tied appearance. up over the crown in the fall to prevent water from settling there and freezing, which can be deadly. Sea Kale Sulphur Flower 7 Latin Name: Crambe maritima 8 Latin Name: Eriogonum umbellatum Mature Height: 4-6’ Mature Height: 6-12” Mature Spread: 4-6’ Mature Spread: 12-24” Hardy To: 8,000’ Hardy To: 10,000’ Water: Medium Water: Very Low Exposure: Sun to Part Shade Exposure: Sun Flower Color: White Flower Color: Yellow Flower Season: Summer Flower Season: Early to Mid-Summer Description: Sea Kale is a handsome, bold, and dramatic archi- Attracts: Bees, Butterflies tectural contribution to the garden. A large specimen perennial Description: This robust perennial is native to the Western United with bold, blue-green foliage that is lobed and sharply toothed; States, from California to Colorado and even reaching into central it boasts huge, summer-time panicles of small white flowers that Canada. As a Colorado native, Eriogonum umbellatum is known for are very showy and sweetly scented. It has wonderful green, its durability and its masses of bright yellow flowers. Its display of pearlshaped seedheads along angular, gray-green stems. Hailing colors may vary based on its location, but the flowers often boast a from the coastal sands, rocks, and cliffs along the Baltic Coast and pile of green coins in spring, yellow pom-poms in summer, orangey Black Sea, this beach-dwelling plant is extremely salt tolerant. It heads in fall, and blood-red leaves in winter. A low, leafy evergreen also has a thick, deep, succulent tap root system that makes it for all seasons, this beauty will add color and life to a perennial extremely drought-tolerant and difficult to move once established. border or a rock garden. With a preference for well-drained, coarse, even nutritionally poor Care: The Sulphur Flower earns high marks for being adaptable to soils, Sea Kale will struggle in standing water. The leaves are edible, a wide range of growing conditions. The most favorable settings and can be used as a garden vegetable, as well as an ornamental. for optimum growth are sunny sites with well-drained soil, how- Care: After flowering, foliage may become tattered and worn. ever, a location in partial sun will also suffice. Once established Remove the worst leaves. Cut to the ground for winter cleanup. We this showy perennial needs only occasional watering to grow and do not recommend trying to divide or move this plant as it has a flower successfully. Cut back old flowers in winter/spring. very deep tap root system. 3 Plant by Number Design Options: 7’ 14’ 1 box = 1 sq. ft. 12’ 12’ 10’ 10’.