I took this photo a few years ago while traveling through Germany.  I believe that this is a Tri Color Beech or Fagus sylvatica ‘Roseo-Marginata’.  We were in a park that had several huge, towering trees that were covered in a pink hue!  I had never noticed trees like these before.

When we got back home, I did a little research and the consensus seemed to be that these beech trees do not grow so well here in Colorado.  However, I just looked it up in the Front Range Tree Recommendation List, and it was given a “B” grade (not too bad).  Has anyone out there planted these?  What experiences can you share about this tree?

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.

Related Posts:

• The 10 Best Evergreen Xeriscape Plants for Colorado
• USDA Releases New Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Maps
• Should Ornamental Grasses be Cut Back for the Winter?
• The Best Plants for High Altitude Landscaping
• Photo of the Day – Eastern Redbud Tree in Bloom

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Evergreen plants also provide great contrast with other plants, particularly with the the foliage and seed heads of ornamental grasses, and as a backdrop for flowering shrubs and perennials.  And evergreens can often be utilized to effectively create privacy and screen or block undesirable views in the landscape.

I am limiting this top 10 list to evergreen shrubs.  Another very interesting category of plants are the so called “semi-evergreens”, which are deciduous plants that keep all or part of their foliage throughout the winter.  I will do a future list of the top semi-evergreen Xeriscape plants. I am also excluding large trees from this list, as they are a category unto themselves and many people are already familiar with evergreen tree choices.

Although this is a Colorado list, most of these plants can be used in many places throughout the world depending on the local climate.

• Panchito Manzanita – Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Panchito’   Panchito Manzanita is a low growing woody shrub with shiny, oval, dark green leaves that persist throughout the winter. It gets small, pale pink flowers followed by small red berries- but it’s best characteristics are the evergreen foliage and the fact that it requires little care or water.  The only time I have had an issue with this plant was when it was placed in an area with very poor soil and poor drainage- even then, the plant looked healthy, it just didn’t get any larger.

• Kinnickinnick – Arctostaphylos uva-ursi    Since the Mock Bearberry and Panchito Manzanitas have become some of my favorite plants, I started taking a second look at their cousin the Kinnickinnick.  This plant has been around for a long time and thrives in the eastern U.S.  Here in Colorado, it needs full to partial shade and requires a little more water.  It stays a little smaller than the other Manzanitas, but since there are so few evergreens that thrive in shade it is an invaluable plant.

• Oregon Grape Holly - Mahonia aquifolium    I consider Oregon Grape Holly to be an evergreen plant, even though that may not be botanically correct.  It has large, glossy leaves that persist through winter, turning bronze-red, and gets clusters of small yellow flowers in the spring.  It can handle a ton of different conditions, from partial sun, through full shade, and doesn’t seem to mind the toughest clay soil.  This plant is a true staple of the Colorado Xeriscape.  Oregon Grape Holly gets about 4-6 feet wide and tall, with the “compacta” variety staying about half of that size.

• Yucca – Yucca ssp.    Native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, Yuccas are another plant that is not generally thought of as an evergreen.  But they are just about the perfect evergreen plant for a Xeriscape!  Yuccas provide really good steady green foliage that can blend in with other plants or be used as a statement with it’s unique form.  A tall stalk of white flowers appears in summer to make these plants all the more interesting.  All that, from plant that is native to Colorado and requires no maintenance or no supplemental watering!  Note: Red Yucca is another great plant that gets red flowers instead of white.  It’s scientific name is Hesperaloe parviflora.

• Agave – Agave parryi    Agaves are very similar to Yuccas, and provide many of the same benefits.  They tend to grow slower, and are a little smaller, so I recommend using them closer to pathways so their foliage can be enjoyed.  Agaves only flower once every 25 years, sending up a very tall flower stalk.  After they flower, the parent plant dies, and is replaced bu suckers from the root.

• Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce – Picea pungens ‘Glauca Globosa’    Most people would not consider this a true Xeriscape plant, but I am including it because I have had very good luck with these plants in Xeriscapes.  Being a spruce, they do require a little more watering until they are established.  However I have seen these plants used in low water use landscaped on the same drip zone as true Xeriscape plants and they have thrived.  The blue color and the fact that they stall relatively compact are characteristics that cannot be found with any other plants that I am aware of.

• Mugo Pine – Pinus mugo ssp.    Mugo pines can provide very good dark green color, and are perfectly adapted to Colorado’s climate.  They are a perfect accent to boulders and flowering perennials.  Be sure to give them plenty of room, they are slow growing and are usually pretty small at the time of planting- however most of the varieties will get quite large over time.
• Spreading Junipers – Juniperus horizontalis ssp.    Junipers have been given a bad name, as we have written about before, but creeping or spreading junipers require little maintenance and can be very valuable parts of a well designed Xeriscape.  These plants work well when mixed with a variety of flowering and deciduous plants and grasses.  They can provide good ground coverage and green color to break up large mulch areas and as understory between shrubs.  Varieties such as “Youngstown” and “Blue Chip” offer a variety of green to blue-green hues.

• Upright Junipers – Juniperus scopulorum ssp.    These upright shrubs can work well as vertical elements in a Xeriscape (as seen above), or to provide screening of utility areas.  Some of the varieties stay very narrow, which can be invaluable in tight spaces where evergreen trees would get far too wide.  Be wary of limb breakage in very heavy snows, especially with very narrow varieties such as “Skyrocket”.  Junipers are native to Colorado and require very little water, care, or maintenance.

• Compact Tanyosho Pine – Pinus densiflora ‘Globosa’    Compact Tanyosho Pine is a unique large shrub or small tree that has a very nice dark green color and requires minimal maintenance.  It is one of the rare evergreen trees that stays very compact, yet requires little water unlike many of the other dwarf conifers.  It also has an interesting form, with one or multiple bare trunks at the base with the needles forming a mound at the top.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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• The 2 Common Types of Rebates Available for Renovating Your Landscaping to Save Water
• The Best Plants for High Altitude Landscaping
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient

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On January 25th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an updated version of their Plant Hardiness Zone Map.  Here are some excerpts from the USDA website, where you can also view and download the new maps:

My thoughts:  It is kind of surprising that the maps have not been updated since 1990.

You can enter your zip code, search by state, or simply click on your state on the national map to get a new state map.

Colorado, like most places, got a little warmer.  Now Zone 3 only includes areas at high elevations.  The foothills are a mix of Zone 4 and 5, and the urban “heat island effect” is taken into consideration with Denver in Zone 6.  What changes are you seeing for your area?

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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But should ornamental grasses be cut back to the ground in winter?

Most ornamental grasses develop tall seed heads late in the summer that naturally persist through the winter.  When temperatures start to drop the plant will die back, leaving the dried foliage, stalks, and seed heads.  The general rule that you should cut back the grasses before the next growing season, so that the new year’s growth will be more vigorous and healthy.

I have found a couple of exceptions to this here in the Denver area, particularly with Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima), which did not regenerate as well or look as good the year after I cut it back.  I have since started leaving it uncut, which results is the new growth coming up right through the beautiful finely textured golden old growth.  But with most varieties, they should be cut back before new growth starts in the spring.

So the question, then, is whether you should cut them back in the fall, or wait until the spring.  Many people enjoy the colors and movement that these elements provide in winter.  Others prefer a more “neat” or formal look.

I thought it would be interesting to explore the advantages each approach:

Advantages of leaving the grasses for the winter and waiting until the spring to cut them back

• When shrubs lose their leaves, and perennials wither to the ground, grasses can provide form in the landscape
• Texture:  Interesting textures can stand out, collecting frost or snow, and reflecting sunlight
• Movement:  Winter winds and soft breezes can move and sway the stems and seed heads of ornamental grasses
• The grasses can add color to the drab winter landscape, including shades of reds, yellows, browns, and blues
• Upright grasses can be used to help screen views when deciduous plants have lost their leaves
• The grasses can provide habitat and shelter for birds and other small animals

Advantages of cutting back ornamental grasses right away in the fall or early winter

• This can be interesting and different look, I have seen some nice formal plantings that looked stunning with the grasses cut back
• Some grasses hold their form better than others, while some varieties may flop over under heavy snow
• Cutting them back may give the impression (rightly or wrongly) that a commercial landscape is being better maintained
• In some cases the grasses may block sight lines, such as to important signage in a shopping center
• In high foot traffic areas, it may be beneficial to cut back ornamental grasses to avoid them being trampled

So what do you think, is one method better than the other?  My personal taste is to leave the grasses up all winter, but there are situations where you may want to cut them back.  And you can always decide to cut them back later, if you feel the need to tidy them up.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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The Challenges of High Elevations

When landscaping at higher elevations, there are many challenges to consider.  The plants themselves are often limited in how cold of winter temperature they can withstand.  And there are also the challenging microclimates, wind, and levels of moisture that can occur at high altitudes.

Grazing deer and elk are also a common problem at higher elevations.  All of these factors should be carefully considered in the design of the landscape.  Consult the USDA Plant Hardiness zones for your local area, and consider working with an experienced landscape architect or garden designer.

It would be a great idea to do some nature walks in your local area to observe the native plants that are thriving naturally, and are well adapted to the various microclimates that can be found in your area.

I have decided to limit the list to plants that I feel will do well above 8,000 ft.   There are several plants that are advertised to do well above 7,500 ft, but I am not comfortable recommending all of them, so lets go with 8,000.

Deciduous Trees

• Quaking Aspen    Populus tremuloides
• Canada Red Cherry    Prunus virginiana ‘Canada Red’
• Russian Hawthorne    Crataegus ambigua
• Ginnala Maple    Acer ginnala
• Apple and Crabbaple    Malus (several types)
• Alder    Alnus tenuifolia
• Tartarian Maple    Acer tartaricum
• Birch    Betula (several types)
• Mountain Ash    Sorbus aucuparia
• English Oak    Quercus robur

Evergreen Trees

• Southwestern White Pine    Pinus strobiformis
• Ponderosa Pine    Pinus ponderosa
• Colorado Blue Spruce    Picea pungens
• Douglas Fir    Pseudotsuga menziesii glauca
• White Fir    Abies concolor
• Limber Pine    Pinus flexilis
• Bristlecone Pine    Pinus aristata

Deciduous Shrubs

• Burning Bush    Euonymus ‘Turkstanica Nana’
• Peking Cotoneaster    Cotoneaster lucidus
• American Cranberry    Viburnum trilobum
• Currant    Ribes (several types)
• Lilac    Syringa (several types)
• Potentilla    Potentilla (several types)
• Siberean Peashrub    Caragana arborescens
• Snowball Viburnum    Viburnum opulus
• Rock Spirea    Holodiscus dumosus
• Sumac    Rhus (several types)
• Willow    Salix (several types)
• Sand Sage    Artemesia filifolia
• Serviceberry    Amelanchier (several types)
• Barberry    Berberis (several types)

Evergreen Shrubs

• Juniper    Juniperus (several types)
• Mugo Pine    Pinus mugo
• Dwarf Alberta Spruce    Picea glauca
• Blue Globe Spruce    Picea pungen ‘Globosa’
• Weeping Norway Spruce    Picea abies ‘Pendula’
• Yucca    Yucca (several types)
• Euonymus    Euonymus (several types)

Ornamental Grasses

• Blue Oat Grass    Helictotrichon sempervirens
• Blue Fescue    Festuca glauca
• Ravenna Grass    Erianthus ravennae

Perennials

• Aster    Aster (several types)
• Columbine     Aqueiegia
• Blue Flax    Linum perenne
• Snow in Summer    Cerastium tomentosum
• Wild Strawberry    Waldsteninia ternata
• Kinnikinnick    Actostaphylos uva-ursi
• Painted Daisy    Tanacetum coccineum
• Delphinium    Delphinium (several types)
• Bleeding Heart    Dicentra spectabilis
• Oregon Grape Holly    Mahonia repens
• Yarrow    Achillea (several types)
• Lupine    Lupinus (several types)
• Sedum    Sedum (several types)
• Black Eyed Susan    Rudbeckia fulgida
• Windflower    Anemone canadensis
• Serbia Iris    Iris sibirica

So, what do you think of this list?  I am sure that others reading this blog (myself included) would love to hear about your own experiences gardening at high altitude with any of these plants.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects.  For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) has a graceful form, and unique pink flowers that appear in the spring before the leaves emerge.  The flowers appear even on the larger branches, and sometimes even on the trunk itself.  Redbud is one of my personal favorites.  In arid climates like Colorado, they should be planted in a protected location, in partial shade.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects.  For more information about our business and our services, click here.

Related Posts:

• Photo of the Day – Beautiful Beech Tree with Pink Leaf Margins
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Juniper bushes are common in older landscapes. Here they were not given adequate room, so they have been sheared off along the walkway.

Why is this?  I think there are a few main reasons, aside from the fact that they are prickly beasts that we have all tangled with a one point (either landing in one while playing as a kid, or getting that annoying rash on your arm while trimming them) :

1) They were simply overused in the past.  People are just tired of them and want something unique and new.  And since they live for ages and rarely die, they are often the only living survivors guarding the front doors of homes in any older neighborhood.

2) They were not planted with enough room to grow.  Many of the varieties get quite large after say, 20 years, and quickly outgrow the planting bed.  Because they grow too large for their setting they require excessive pruning to keep them at a manageable size.  This pruning then exposes all of the dead old growth inside the base of the plant- ugly!

3) The aforementioned prickliness.   And good luck getting the baseball you were tossing around out of the center of that green monster.

Given these negatives, why then should you consider using Juniper plants in your landscape?

1)  They require little water and are very well adapted to the western and southwestern United States.  That is why in places like Eastern Colorado (where few woody plants survive, and water is a scarce resource) they are used by landowners and farmers for windbreaks.  They are an excellent Xeriscape plant.

When used correctly, such as in this Denver Xeriscape, Junipers can be an attractive addition to the landscape.

2)  They are long-lived plants.  In some places native specimens have lived for several hundred years in the wild.

3)  Given an appropriate amount of space, they require almost no maintenance.

4)  They are evergreen, so they provide good winter interest.  They can be used to add texture and scale to a landscape, and make terrific visual screens, hedges, and windbreaks.

5)  There are many forms and colors available that offer endless design possibilities, ranging from narrow upright forms to low mat-forming spreading varieties, and everything in between.  Colors can range from dark green, to blue-gray, to bright green, to yellow green, with some varieties changing to purplish-red shades in the winter months.

So, the next time you decide to tear out those old Juniper shrubs, consider re-introducing them into your new landscape design to enjoy all of the benefits these versatile plants have to offer.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects.  For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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The interesting seed pods of the Golden Rain Tree appear like hanging paper lanterns.  They start out a golden yellow in late summer, and fade to shades of red and brown through the fall.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects.  For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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Delosperma (Red Mountain and Mesa Verde Iceplant) and Actostaphylos x coloradoensis (Panchito Manzanita)

Dry Xeriscape Garden

Erigonum umbellatum (Kannah Creek Buckwheat)

Delosperma (Red Mountain and Mesa Verde Iceplant)

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects.  For more information about our business and our services, click here.

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That being said, I do think a small list can be helpful to people who are new to the area, or are not familiar with the available plant choices and may be overwhelmed by a catalog of thousands of plants.   Although this is a Colorado list, most of these plants can be used in many places throughout the world depending on the local climate.

• Fernbush – Chamaebatiaria millefolium    Fernbush is a medium sized shrub with interesting fern-like leaves that persist throughout the winter.  This shrub requires little water or maintenance, and produces clusters of small white flowers in the late spring through early summer.
• Agastache - Agastache ssp.    Agastache, or hummingbird mint, is a fragrant group of colorful perennial herbs that is available in many colors mostly ranging from orange to pink.  The plants are covered with beautiful tubular flowers from mid-summer to fall.  Hummingbirds absolutely love these plants.
• Panchito Manzanita - Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Panchito’    Panchito Manzanita is a low growing woody shrub with shiny, oval, dark green leaves that persist throughout the winter.  It gets small, pale pink flowers followed by small red berries- but it’s best characteristics are the evergreen foliage and the fact that it requires little care or water.  For more info read my previous post dedicated to this plant.
• Yarrow - Achillea ssp.    Yarrow is a group of Rocky Mountain native perennials that are available in many colors, ranging from yellow, to white, to red.  The plants are very drought tolerant, requiring almost no watering once established.  Fern-like, finely dissected leaves form clumps at the base of the plant, often naturalizing and spreading.  Flowers are produced on stiff, tall stalks throughout the summer.
• Spanish Gold Broom - Cytisus purgans ‘Spanish Gold’    Spanish Gold Broom is a medium sized deciduous shrub that is native to the Mediterranean.  In late spring it is covered with small yellow pea-like blossoms.  This shrub grows in a mounding, cascading form of bright green stems that remain green throughout the winter.  The small leaves drop by mid-summer.
• Catmint - Nepeta ssp.    Catmint is a widely used mint that produces an abundance of blue flowers.  The reasons that I like this plant are first, that it is one of the earlier Xeriscape perennials to emerge in the spring to form an attractive clump of blue-green foliage, and second, that it flowers all summer long and requires zero maintenance.
• Iceplant - Delosperma ssp.    The Iceplant that we use in Colorado is a perennial that is native to the higher elevations of South Africa.  Note that this is not the invasive Iceplant that is a problem in Southern California.  Delospermas form a ground-hugging mat of succulent leaves that range from grey to green.  The plants are coated with shiny, delicate flowers in colors from red, to purple, to pink, often with different colored centers.  One of my favorite plants.
• Blue Avena Grass - Helictotrichon sempervirens    Blue Avena Grass is a striking addition to any landscape.  Large clumps of blue-gray leaves give this grass a unique texture and contrast among other plants.  In mid-summer a large group of tan seedheads gracefully arch from the plant and stand out from the blue foliage.  Like most grasses, Blue Avena requires little maintenance or supplemental watering.
• Penstemon - Penstemon ssp.    Penstemon is another group of Rocky Mountain native perennials that requires little watering once established, preferring well drained soils. Penstemons are available in just about every color.  These plants are small in size which makes them ideal for filling in between other Xeriscape plants.  They provide an abundance of colorful blooms that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
• Mojave Sage - Salvia pachyphylla    Mojave Sage is a large shrubby perennial that produces an abundance of striking purplish-blue flowers throughout the summer.  The silver-green foliage really stands out too, growing up to 3 feet tall, and persisting as a semi-evergreen throughout the winter.
• Prairie Winecups - Callirhoe involucrata    Prairie Winecups is a Colorado native perennial that grows in a low mound of trailing stems covered in round dark-green leaves.  The plant produces a large number of cup shaped wine-red colored flowers from late spring through summer.  Because this is a native plant it is well adapted to our local climate and requires little maintenance.
• Mexican Feather Grass - Nassella tenuissima    Mexican Feather Grass has a fine, hair-like form that gives this grass a texture like none other.  Early in the summer the fine tufts of grass are bright green, then they fade to a striking golden yellow in the mid summer through the fall and winter.  The way that this grass moves in the breeze brings a graceful movement to the landscape.
• Torch Lilly - Kniphofia ssp.    Torch Lillies are interesting because of their unique foliage and flowers.  The foliage is grass-like, and grows in thick clumps ranging in color from blue-green to dark green.  The flowers are produced in a tight bunch on tall spikes, and the flowers open from the bottom of the spike upwards.
• Crimson Pygmy Barberry - Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’    Crimson Pygmy Barberry is a compact deciduous shrub with small red leaves and stems.  The red color makes an excellent contrast with the tan and blue hues of the late summer Xeriscape.  This shrub is easy to care for, and maintains a very compact and dense form.
• Agave - Agave ssp.    Agave is native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, and it thrives in hot, dry locations.  Most of the Agave’s have beautiful thick blue foliagewith spines on the tips of the leaves.  A very low maintenance plant for dry southern and western exposures.
• Prairie Coneflower - Ratibida ssp.    Prairie Coneflower is a tall, vigorously growing perennial that requires little maintenance and produces flowers throughout the summer.  The foliage is bright green, and available flower colors include yellow with dark brown centers, and burgundy red with dark brown centers.  The seeds are easy to harvest and sow the following spring.
• Creeping Western Sand Cherry - Prunus besseyi ‘Pawnee Buttes’    Creeping Western Sand Cherry is the low growing form of Western Sand Cherry that is native to the Rocky Mountains.  The plant has bright green leaves, and produces fragrant white flowers in the spring, followed by small black fruit that attract birds and wildlife.  In the fall, the leaves turn to beautiful shades of burgundy and red.
• Coral Bells – Heuchera ssp.    Coral Bells are a widely used favorite because they are easy to grow and care for. The large leaves are available in a variety of hues from light green, to burgundy, to silvery green. Coral Bells does very well in shade to partial sun.  Available flower colors range from white to red, and are produced on slender stalks in late spring to early summer.
• Yucca - Yucca ssp.    Yuccas are native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico.  There are many different varieties to choose from with various forms of stiff sword-like leaves ranging from dark green to blue-green.  Yuccas are a true evergreen that brings form and structure to the landscape year-round.  Most Yuccas produce large showy spikes of white bell shaped flowers in mid summer.
• Apache Plume - Fallugia paradoxa    Apache Plume is large native deciduous shrub with whitish stems and branches covered with small light green leaves.  Some of the leaves persist throughout the winter.  The shrub produces single white flowers in mid summer, followed by the very unique and attractive rose and pink colored plumes that give this plant it’s name.  A very unique and versatile shrub that grows vigorously in it’s native habitat of Colorado.

The Criteria for this List:
- This list is for the Front Range of Colorado.  We are somewhere in the middle of zone 4 to 5 on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.  I will plan to follow up with a separate post for the mountain areas located above about 7,000 feet in elevation.

- I have only included plants that are very easy to care for, and have excluded plants that require a lot of water since that is a key component of Xeriscape.  The “best” plants, in my opinion, are those that are well adapted to the local climate and do not require much additional water and maintenance.  Of course there are occasions where the use of higher water-use plants is desirable, such as in drainage areas, however I have left them off of this particular list.  And if this were a list of my personal “favorite” plants then I would probably include some that require a little extra care.

- I am not a botanist- I am a landscape architect.  This means that I am far from an expert on the science and anatomy of plants.  Instead, I am influenced by characteristics such as:  how the plant works in an overall design, its adaptability to a variety of sites, the colors and form of the foliage, the availability and cost of the plants, etc.

- This list includes a good mixture of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses that will provide a variety of color, texture, and interest throughout each of the seasons.  I have excluded trees, bulbs, and annuals for the purpose of this list.  There are so many of each to chose from that I will provide future lists for each category.

This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects.  For more information about our business and our services, click here.

Related Posts:

• 5 Reasons to Reconsider your Hatred of Juniper Bushes
• The 2 Common Types of Rebates Available for Renovating Your Landscaping to Save Water
• The Best Plants for High Altitude Landscaping
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• Scenes from a Colorado Garden – June 2010

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