2018 garden in a box: Garden Info Sheet Butterfly Bounty Designed by Deryn Davidson, Horticulture Agent for CSU Extension

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1 - Black-Eyed Susan 6 - European Pasque Flower 11 - Purple Coneflower 2 - Blanket Flower 7 - Goldenrod ‘Golden Baby’ 12 - Sunset Hyssop 3 - Blue Grama Grass 8 - Little Bluestem Grass 13 - White Soapwort 4 - Catmint ‘Select Blue’ 9 - Pearly Everlasting 5 - Chocolate Flower 10 - Pineleaf Penstemon

ed by bright, yellow ray florets above stiff, hairy stems. They are Black-Eyed Susan considered a short-lived perennial that typically survives up to 3 1 Latin Name: Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ years, but it will spread by seed and can be easily naturalized. To Mature Height: 12-42” prevent its self-seeding tendency, be sure to deadhead diligently. Mature Spread: 12-18” Deadheading will also inspire new blooms! However, if you prefer Hardy To: 8,000’ instead to leave the last blooms of autumn to go to seed, then Water: Medium you will enjoy visits from hungry birds and winter interest in the Exposure: Sun garden. Flower Color: Bronze-Yellow Care: Deadhead to encourage blooming and to minimize Flower Season: Summer self-seeding. Cut back to the ground in late winter; wait for spring Attracts: Butterflies to allow seeding. can also be propagated by division. Rud- Description: This beloved wildflower is native to the Eastern and beckia plants that become taller or bushier than desired can be cut Central . It is easily grown in average, medium-mois- back to about 6” to generate fresh growth. ture, well-drained soils in full sun. Throughout the summer, the cheerful Black-Eyed Susan features a bold, central disc surround- Blanket Flower Blue Grama Grass 2 Latin Name: Gaillardia aristata 3 Latin Name: Bouteloua gracilis Mature Height: 18-24” Mature Height: 1-2’ Mature Spread: 18-24” Mature Spread: 1-2’ Hardy To: 8,500’ Hardy To: 8,500’ Water: Low Water: Very Low Exposure: Full Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Yellow/Bronze Flower Color: Tan or Blonde Flower Season: Mid-Summer Flower Season: Summer to Fall Attracts: Butterflies, Bees Attracts: Small Birds Description: A thick clump of fuzzy grayish-green leaves support Description: Bouteloua gracilis is a greyish-green native grass stems of large daisies consisting of half-domed, reddish-brown to commonly found in the Rocky Mountains. This attractive and hardy orange centers circled by ray florets of yellow or yellow/bronze bi- grass will compliment and add intrigue to any established garden. color. The Blanket Flower is a native, and the entire Bouteloua gracilis will stay colorful all the way through the fall is covered with fuzzy hair. season. Its delicate blonde “eyelash-like” spikelets grow horizontally Care: The Blanket Flower appreciates a bit of pampering the first on the grass stems. Its seeds are eaten by small birds in the fall. P.S. season, and then takes off on its own. Deadhead occasionally to This is the Colorado state grass! keep the flowers coming all summer long. Divide every 2 to 3 years Care: This adaptable grass does well in almost all soils aside from in early spring to keep clumps thriving. Avoid planting in rich, heavy and very wet clay. Cut back in mid-spring just before new moist soils, which can make the plants floppy and shorten their growth emerges. life-span. Drought-tolerant once established, the Blanket Flower only needs supplemental moisture during extended hot and dry conditions. This plant is very low-maintenance, adaptable, and easy to grow.

Catmint ‘Select Blue’ Chocolate Flower 4 Latin Name: Nepeta x faassenii ‘Select Blue’ 5 Latin Name: lyrata Mature Height: 15-24” Mature Height: 1-2’ Mature Spread: 18-24” Mature Spread: 12-18” Hardy To: 8,500’ Hardy To: 6,000’ Water: Low Water: Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Blue Flower Color: Yellow Flower Season: Late Spring to Late Summer Flower Season: Summer to Fall Attracts: Butterflies, Bees Attracts: Bees Resistant To: Rabbit, Deer Description: Native to the plains and grasslands of the Southwest Description: This type of Catmint is named for its noticeably bright United States, has a strong tolerance for heat blue color, especially compared to traditional catmint. ‘Select Blue’ and drought. This bright yellow, daisy-like flower will add a ray Catmint has become a cornerstone of most xeric gardens due to its of light and color to any garden. And, with the Berlandiera lyrata, ease of care, long bloom life, and hardiness to weather. They have your mornings just got a little sweeter! This cheerful delight emits rippled, soft gray-green leaves on square stems, and have a wafting a distinct milk chocolate fragrance especially in the early morning aroma when handled or crushed. The first growth of flowers come hours. If you’re looking for an extra chocolaty pick-me-up, the in the late spring, and if you deadhead them promptly, you will en- fragrance can be produced by plucking the ray florets from the joy a second bloom in the late summer. ‘Select Blue’ catmint is one flower head. Enjoy its sweet scent, colorful display, and long-last- of the best plants for novice gardeners. It grows easily in almost ing blooms in your landscape from the first sign of summer to the all soil types, including clay. It is a sterile plant, and will not reseed first frost of fall. itself to create a weed infrastructure like common catmint. Care: This hardy and easy to care for perennial is adaptable to a Care: Cut back just above ground level (about 3”) in mid-spring. wide spectrum of conditions. However, it tends to prefer soil that is When deadheaded promptly in the late spring after the first flush not amended and thrives best in full sun locations. Once estab- of flowers, catmint will bloom again in the late summer. Shear off lished, it requires very little water, and, if overwatered, it will cause faded flowers around June, and they will re-bloom in the late sum- the plant to become leggy. Be sure to remove spent flowers to mer. This plant needs cutting-propagation for proper upkeep. encourage new growth. European Pasque Flower Goldenrod ‘Golden Baby’ 6 Latin Name: Pulsatilla vulgaris 7 Latin Name: Solidago ‘Golden Baby’ Mature Height: 6-12” Mature Height: 1-3’ Mature Spread: 8-12” Mature Spread: 18-24” Hardy To: 9,000’ Hardy To: 7,500’ Water: Low Water: Low Exposure: Adaptable Exposure: Sun to Filtered Shade Flower Color: Purple Flower Color: Yellow Flower Season: Early Spring Flower Season: Summer Description: Covered in hairy foliage that protects this flower from Attracts: Birds, Butterflies the early spring chill, Pasque Flowers are the harbingers of spring. Resistant To: Deer These starry, five petaled, purple flowers with a fuzzy orange-yel- Description: Goldenrod ‘Golden Baby’, also known as ‘Goldkind’ low start blooming in early spring and continue for several is a bright golden-yellow perennial that bears high quantities of weeks as they grow larger. Its fuzzy seedheads will last into the plume-like bloom clusters on the ends of its upright stem. It forms summer. A native of the alpine meadows and open slopes of West- a bushy upright mound of deep green leaves that flowers for a ern Europe, the Pulsatilla vulgaris is adapted to chalky and sandy long period through mid and late summer. It is very easy to grow, soils at high elevations, and it will not tolerate soggy soils. low-maintenance, and has plenty of nectar for butterflies and Care: Overall, this plant likes to be left alone! Due to its long tap hummingbirds. root system, the Pulsatilla vulgaris resents transplanting, and we do Care: This flower is very easy to care for. It is drought resistant, and not recommend dividing it unless absolutely necessary. No prun- does well in most soils, including clay and dry soils. This flower ing is required for this plant; however, if you simply must, dead does best in loamy, well-drained soil with full sunlight or filtered foliage can be removed in spring or winter before new growth sunlight. It acts well as a border flower, and doesn’t invade into emerges. Your Pasque Flower will go dormant in mid-summer, so other plants’ territories. Remove spent flowers to promote addi- you may want to mark its spot with a stake so that you don’t acci- tional blooms in the flowers. dentally dig it up.

Little Bluestem Grass Pearly Everlasting 8 Latin Name: Schizachyrium scoparium 9 Latin Name: Anaphalis margaritacea Mature Height: 3-4’ Mature Height: 1-2’ Mature Spread: 24-30” Mature Spread: 8-12” Hardy To: 8,000’ Hardy To: 9,500’ Water: Low Water: Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Purple-Bronze Flower Color: White Flower Season: Fall Flower Season: Summer Attracts: Birds Attracts: Butterflies, Bees Resistant To: Deer Description: Pearly Everlasting is a flowering perennial plant in Description: Ranging from Alberta to , Little Bluestem the sunflower family, which is native to Asia, Indochina, and North is one of the most common grasses in the tall grass prairie. Its America. This small, white to yellowish flower adds great dimension kaleidoscope of colors start as pastels in the summer and become and crisp color to any garden. It has a wonderful smell of minty- bronze tones in the fall. Clumps of long, linear leaves culminate maple syrup, and is fuzzy to the touch. It is a very hardy plant, and in purple flowers in late summer and early fall. The bronze foliage can handle harsh soil conditions. This pollen-producing flower and fuzzy white seed heads remain through the winter, providing has leaves that tend to host friendly caterpillars and the American seasonal interest to the garden. In addition, small birds feast on the Painted Lady butterfly. seed heads throughout the winter, providing them with valuable Care: This low-maintenance flower is disease and pest free, and sustenance throughout the cold months. does best in damp soil and full to partial sunlight. Make sure to Care: This highly adaptable grass is tolerant of sunbaked locations cut back the plant in the fall, and propagate by division or root and poor soil of all varieties. However, it is ill suited for shady, wet softwood cuttings in spring or early summer to reduce unwanted soils, which will lead to poor structure and floppy growth. Keep the spreading. Avoiding the use of fertilizers will also reduce unwanted grass looking fresh by cutting it back in late winter or early spring, spreading. to ensure new leaf growth. Pineleaf Penstemon Purple Coneflower 10 Latin Name: Penstemon pinifolius 11 Latin Name: Echinacea purpurea Mature Height: 6-8” Mature Height: 2-3’ Mature Spread: 12-15” Mature Spread: 18-24” Hardy To: 8,000’ Hardy To: 8,500’ Water: Low Water: Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Scarlet Flower Color: Lavender-Purple Flower Season: Mid-Summer Flower Season: Mid to Late Summer Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds Attracts: Insects, Butterflies, Birds Description: The Pineleaf Penstemon features glorious tubular, Description: The Purple Coneflower is a long-admired herbaceous scarlet-orange flowers with vibrant yellow throats. These unique perennial known for more than just its pretty flowers and attrac- and prolific blooms rest atop soft, green needle-like foliage and tive foliage. It has incredible medicinal properties which were first cover the plant throughout the mid-summer months. Its fine discovered and utilized by the Native Americans. In modern day, and delicate texture adds a wispy, playful essence to the natural it is used to make a popular tea that supports the immune system, landscape, and its delightful blooms are beloved by butterflies and among many other uses. Its native habitat ranges throug hout hummingbirds alike. This low-creeping Penstemon thrives in sun- most of the Eastern and Central United States, as it tends to grow ny, dry gardens and looks particularly attractive in a rock garden or in rocky, moist prairies, meadows and open woodlands. Purple, dry border. As a native to Arizona and New , it grows well in drooping ray florets dance atop stiff, coarse stems throughout the most regions except for the humid south, and once established, it summer months, typically from June to August. Its characteristic is very drought-tolerant. Plant this no-fuss beauty in your garden spiny and brownish central disk inspires its Latin name, Echinacea, and watch your landscape come to life - songbirds feast on the which is rooted in the Greek word for hedgehog, echinos. seeds in fall and winter! Care: The Purple Coneflower is a low-maintenance perennial Care: The Pineleaf Penstemon prefers dry to average moisture lev- that grows easily in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil. Its els with very well-drained soil. It will often die in standing water. adaptable nature enables it to grow in full sun to partial shade, Cut down old foliage in late fall or early spring before new growth but it thrives best in full sun. Furthermore, it is tolerant of drought, starts. If desired, cut down the stems of the spent flowers after heat and humidity. Divide clumps about every 4 years to prevent bloom. It can also be propagated by division every 3 to 4 years, if overcrowding. Plants usually rebloom without deadheading, desired. May benefit from loose winter mulch in colder zones. however, prompt removal of spent flowers improves its general appearance. Freely self-seeds, if seed heads are left in place.

Sunset Hyssop White Soapwort 12 Latin Name: Agastache rupestris 13 Latin Name: Saponaria ocymoides ‘Snow Tips’ Mature Height: 2-3’ Mature Height: 6-9” Mature Spread: 2-3’ Mature Spread: 12-18” Hardy To: 6,500’ Hardy To: 7,000’ Water: Low Water: Low Exposure: Sun Exposure: Sun Flower Color: Orange Pink Flower Color: White Flower Season: Summer to Fall Flower Season: Late Spring to Early Summer Attracts: Hummingbirds, Butterflies Attracts: Bees Resistant To: Deer, Rabbits Resistant To: Deer Description: This native to the Southwest truly encapsulates a Description: These long-lasting flowers are the perfect perennial Western sunset in its flowers. Bold spikes of sunset-orange flowers to take up a lot of ground space in your garden! These flowers are borne from August to frost. The Agastache rupestris is known for bloom atop a very wide-spread groundcover that hugs tightly to its distinct aromas of licorice, root beer, and mint, and it possesses the earth, creating a carpet-like effect wherever planted. The flow- nectar rich flowers that are unsurpassed in their attractiveness ers are small, star-shaped, and bloom for months at a time through to hummingbirds. It will thrive in our hot dry climate in sun or the spring and summer. These plants can also tolerate the occa- partial shade, and it is one of the best, most durable species in the sional foot traffic, and would make a great addition near a walkway Agastache family. The Agastache rupestris is deer and rabbit resis- or door. tant and cold and drought tolerant (once established). Care: These flowers tend to grow vigorously, so it is important that Care: Agastache rupestris loves a hot, sunny position with well- their neighboring plants are large so they don’t get smothered. It drained soil. Can be divided in summer to propagate. Prune at does well in most well drained soils, including clay. Adding fertilizer the beginning of the growing season for sturdier, more vigorous and mulch, especially during the establishment period, will ensure growth. proper moisture at the base of the flowers. Once established, these plants should only be watered every few weeks during dry condi- tions. Shearing back the tops of the plants lightly to remove faded flowers will help quicken new growth and thicken up the plants. If you are using this flower as a lawn substitute, it can also be dead- headed with the highest setting of a lawn mower. 3 Plant by Number Design Options:

6 13 10 4 2 8 3 6 7 9 1 2 8 12 8’ 11 8’ 11 10 8 4 12 3 3 5 12 6 2 2 4 2

16’

1 box = 7’ 1 sq. ft.

14’

8

8 8 2 2 1 10’10’ 7 3 11 12 6 3 12 11 3 5 2 12 4 2 9 4 6 4 10 2 10 6 13

20’