by Todd Rutherford
This captivating plant lives up to its common name as it produces many small flowers on long arching stems that truly give the impression of whirling white butterflies in the garden. The charming small white flowers last only one day, but are reliably produced from early summer through to late autumn. While it is native to the Texas / Louisiana area, it has shown an ability to survive long dry spells. A distant cousin of Evening Primrose, ‘Whirling Butterflies’ has lance-like leaves more numerous towards the base of the plant, becoming smaller and more sparse above the base. The gradually less leafy and thin flowering stems enhance the soft texture and whirling impression the flowers give. Somewhat attractive to bees, I have not seen many butterflies visiting this plant. ‘Whirling Butterflies’ provides white flowers, while the variety called ‘Siskiyou Pink’ has pink flowers on a slightly shorter plant.
Gaura lindheimeri mixes well with low water plants, especially ornamental grasses with which the flower stems can intermingle in a summer breeze. It doesn’t mind the heat, so it is also great along a wall with southern or western exposure.
PLANT STATS
Scientific Name: Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’. Several cultivars such as ‘Siskiyou Pink’, ‘Pink Cloud’, ‘Cloud of Butterflies’, and ‘Summer Breeze’.
Plant Type: Perennial
Mature Height: 24”-48”
Mature Spread: 24”-36”
Cold Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9. Protect roots in colder areas with mulch. Some cultivars may not be as cold hardy as ‘Whirling Butterflies’.
Water Requirement: Moderate water needs, but is drought tolerant. Prefers well-drained soil.
Exposure: Full Sun to light shade.
Flower Color & Bloom Time: Flowers are white in ‘Whirling Butterflies’, pink in some cultivars such as ‘Siskiyou Pink’. Blooms appear in early summer and continue in fall through the first frost.
Winter Interest: The long wispy flower stems remain, peppered with seeds produced from the former flowers.
Best Features: Attractive four petaled flowers that appear over a long period. Flowers are borne on long wispy stems that whirl in the breeze. This plant starts flowering in the middle of summer and continues flowering through late in the fall.
Disadvantages: The flowering stems arch and can flop over onto to neighboring plants. ‘Whirling Butterflies’ reseeds easily; unknown if the cultivars reseed as easily.
Availability and Sizes: This plant seems to be regularly available. The pink cultivars are seen more often. White-flowered ‘Whirling Butterflies’ is propagated easily by seed.
Maintenance Tip: If you’d like the white ‘Whirling Butterflies’ to naturalize, leave the wiry stems through winter so seeds will be dispersed in your garden. If you want to avoid reseeding, cut and remove the stems with seeds. Pinching it back in early summer may thicken the plant, providing more blooming stems.
Wildlife Value: Bees are moderately attracted to this plant. With its long flowering season, it is one of the last flowers available to bees in fall.
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by Matt Corrion
The Colorado Front Range has some of the best fall weather to be had in the United States. When it comes to interesting fall foliage color however, Colorado lacks the abundance of color that can be found in other parts of the country. But with the right choice of trees you can enjoy some wonderful foliage fireworks in your own backyard.
Serviceberry
Serviceberries are beautiful tree-like shrubs. They offer great spring flowers, edible berries that attract birds and beautiful fall color. They are also good choices for water wise landscapes.
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry – Amalanchier x grandiflora 12’ Ht x 10’ W
Shadblow Serviceberry – Amalanchier canadensis 12’ Ht x 10’ W
Crabbapple
The popular ornamental trees are renowned for their their spring flowers, but these crabapples provide excellent fall interest as well.
Indian Summer – Malus ‘Indian Summer’ Orange-red fall color. 18’ Ht x 18’ W
Lancelot – Malus ‘Lancelot’ Yellow-gold fall color. 10’ Ht x 8’ W
Prairiefire – Malus ‘Prairiefire’ Orange-red fall color. 20’ Ht x 20’ W
Spring Snow – Malus ‘Spring Snow’ Yellow fall color. 20’ Ht x 20’ W
Ash
Autumn Purple – Fraxinus Americana As if it glows from within the center of the tree, this Ash is a sight to behold. The color is a mixture of gold to bronze-purple. 50’ Ht x 30’ W
Fall Gold – Fraxinus nigra The bright yellow gold of this tree is great against a crisp blue Colorado fall sky. 40’ Ht x 25’ W
Ornamental Pear
You can find these often planted along streets and in commercial landscapes. They provide spring flowers and fall color in relatively compact form.
Autumn Blaze – Pyrus calleryana ‘Autumn Blaze’ Orange red fall color. 30’ Ht x 25’ W
Chanticleer – Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ Orange red fall color in an upright form. 35’ Ht x 15’ W
Cottonwood
Just like their cousin the Aspen, Cottonwoods are known for their yellow gold leaves. Although they are not recommended for residential yards due to their size and tendency to sucker, they are wonderful in large areas with native planting schemes, especially in wetter areas like drainages and ravines.
Plains – Populus sargentii 60’ Ht x 50’ W
Narrowleaf – Populus angustifolia 75’ Ht x 40’ W
Lanceleaf – Populus acuminate 50’ Ht x 30’ W
Maple
These maple trees will provide great red to orange-red color for your landscape. The Autumn Flame is gorgeous, but it can suffer chlorosis in our alkaline soils. Amur and Tatarian are the most fool-proof choices for our soils and climate.
Amur – Acer ginnala 20’ Ht x 10’ W
Bigtooth – Acer grandidentatum 25’ Ht x 25’ W
Autumn Blaze – Acer x fremanii ‘Autumn Blaze’ 50-40’ Ht x 30-40’ W
Tatarian Maple – Acer tataricum 25’ Ht x 20’ W
Oak
Several of the Oak species are wise choices for Colorado Front Range climate and soils. And a few of these offer nice fall foliage as well.
Chinkapin Oak – Quercus muehlenbergii Yellow fall color. 35-50’ Ht x 35-50’ W
English Oak – Quercus robur Golden yellow fall color. 40-60’ Ht x 30-40’ W
Northern Red Oak – Quercus rubra Bronze to wine red fall color. 40-60’ Ht x 40-60’ W
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by Matt Corrion
Furman’s Red Sage is wonderful small perennial that blurs the lines between perennial and shrub. It has a small, compact form and retains most of it’s leaves through the winter making it a more of a semi-evergreen shrub. And it’s magenta-red flowers just keep coming throughout summer and fall, making this plant a welcome addition to any dry landscape.
This plant combines well with many western natives, requiring little water and thriving in hot, sunny conditions. The unique bright colored flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds and gardeners alike.
PLANT STATS
Scientific Name: Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’
Plant Type: Perennial or small semi-evergreen shrub
Mature Height: 24″-36″, stays pretty small and compact unlike many larger sages and mints
Mature Spread: 30″-42″
Cold Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9
Water Requirement: Low water needs. Seems to do equally well in dry conditions, or with supplemental irrigation. Follow a regular watering schedule the first growing season, but requires little water once established.
Exposure: Full Sun to light shade. Most of the literature on this plant says that it requires full sun, however I have experimented with it in partial shade and it also does well. In partial shade, flowering seems to start later in the summer/fall.
Flower Color & Bloom Time: Flowers are magenta to red, often exhibiting a unique bright magenta hue that sets this plant apart from other red flowering plants. Blooms appear in early to mid-summer and continue in fall through the first frost.
Winter Interest: Furman’s Red Sage grows into a small evergreen shrub that retains it’s leaves throughout winter, unlike most perennials.
Disadvantages: I have not found any to date. If given too much water or placed in too much shade, plants tend to get a little “leggy”, but since they stay relatively small they tend to still stay pretty compact and do not flop like excessively like larger perennials.
Availability and Sizes: This plant seems to be regularly available and has gotten quite popular. It is typically sold in 4-6″ pots, but may be found in 1 gallon containers as well.
Maintenance Tip: Cut back low to the ground in early spring to promote new growth. Leave evergreen stems and leaves up through the winter, some die-back may occur in cold winters.
Wildlife Value: Hummingbirds are attracted to the red flowers and regularly feed at this plant. Said to be deer resistant.
Best Features: Attractive magenta-red flowers that appear over a long period. This plant starts flowering in the middle of summer and continues flowering through late in the fall- one of the latest flowering plants here in Colorado.
Other: Also known as “Furman’s Red Texas Sage” or “Furman’s Red Autumn Sage”.
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by Matt Corrion
Torch Lilly (Kniphofia uvaria), also sometimes referred to as “Red Hot Poker” is one of my favorite perennials. It is just so unusual. Orange and red are two of my favorite colors, and these plants really stand out in the landscape when in bloom as seen in this photo taken from my garden.
In addition to this plant, I have 3 other types in my garden- a blue leaf variety that is shorter, and gets red and yellow flowers earlier in the summer, one with thinner leaves with bright red flowers that appear in June, and another that gets pale yellow flowers. The one pictured above is the common variety (Kniphofia uvaria). It gets larger than the others and seems to require a little more water.
Aside from the flowers, these plants look great all year round with their grass-like foliage providing texture to the landscape. Torch lily is a awesome addition to any garden!
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by Matt Corrion
Evergreens are important Xeriscape plants for Colorado landscapes. Since lawn areas are often limited in Xeriscaping design, evergreen plants can step right in to provide rich green color all year long.
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.
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