by Todd Rutherford
When discussing Yucca plants with other people, I’m usually presented with two responses: the majority who detest them, and the few people who love them. If you are of the former, I hope I can convince you to move towards the latter group. Or at least I hope to persuade you to begin to reconsider the so-called “yucky Yuccas.”
There is one type of Yucca in particular that turned me into a Yucca fan. This would be Yucca filamentosa. This Yucca has all the things that make many Yuccas great for Colorado gardens: low water requirement, dramatic flowers that are pollinated at night by moths, and evergreen winter interest.
What Y. filamentosa has that other yuccas that can grow in our hardiness zone don’t have is softer leaves that can fold over towards the end, despite having sharp tips. This makes it a possibly better choice for gardeners who might be concerned about the stiff, sword like nature of some yuccas such as Y. glauca (which still make great landscape plants!). In addition these Yuccas can take some filtered shade, whereas most Yuccas prefer only full sun. Keep in mind that Yuccas, like many low-water garden plants prefer good drainage to avoid root rot. In addition to Adam’s Needle, there are a few other varieties of Y. filamentosa that offer variegated leaf color, such as Bright Edge Yucca and Color Guard Yucca.
Similar to Y. filamentosa is Y. flaccida. Y. flaccida hails from the Appalachian Mountains. Just like Y. filamentosa, Y. flaccida is more accustomed to your average garden soils and watering regimen. If you want to add a Yucca to an area that already contains other perennials that are not extremely xeric, you should consider Y. filamentosa and Y. flaccida. But while these two species can desire more water than the other yucca species, they are still low water plants that need well-drained soil to keep them happy.
If it is architectural drama you seek for your garden, consider planting Yucca thompsoniana. Thompson’s Yucca is native to New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. Under the right conditions, it may reach up to 10 feet tall. Thompson’s Yucca stems can even sometimes branch off, giving a similar look to the famous Joshua Tree Yuccas (Yucca brevifolia). Flowers are borne on 3 to 5 foot spikes, further increasing the drama of these beauties. For inspiration I recommend you visit the Thompson Yuccas at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Another captivating form of Yucca is Y. baccata, commonly called Banana Yucca. It was a source of food for Native Americans of the Southwest. The long, stiff bluish-green leaves often curl back toward the base, and sport course curled fibers along the edges. Those curled fibers look striking in afternoon backlight. Banana Yucca can reach a height of 4 feet and width of 5 feet, so give it a good, dry space to thrive.
For native plant purists on Colorado’s Front Range, the Soapweed Yucca (Y. glauca) is a good choice. It is distributed widely across the high plains and foothills of Colorado, and is found from Canada to Texas. It is the most cold-hardy Yucca species available. As I mentioned previously, this Yucca has stiff leaves with sharp tips. Y. glauca grows 2-4’ tall and 2-4’ wide, and requires very little water.
Yucca faxoniana
If you have been avoiding the so-called Yucky Yuccas, please reconsider your position and give one of these xeriscape essentials a spot in your low-water landscape.
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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by Matt Corrion
Native grass planting at The Wildlife Experience in Parker, Colorado (designer unknown). Grasses add movement and texture to the landscape. Fall color is not limited to trees and shrubs- there are many different fall colors to be displayed by various types of grasses, from yellows to oranges and reds.
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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by Todd Rutherford
Teasing you with its profusion of blonde colored, eye-lash shaped seed heads, this ornamental selection of the western native Blue Grama grass will wow you. Introduced by David Salman of High Country Gardens, Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ was a 2011 Plant Select winner.
Resplendent on a sunny fall or winter day, the gold leaves and seed heads look great against small evergreens, a dark wall or landscape boulders. Even winter snows can’t stop this grass from providing captivating winter interest, as it seems to stand up through heavy snows better than other ornamental grasses. And in summer, the light blue-green foliage can’t be stopped by heat or drought. ‘BlondeAmbition’ mixes well with many xeriscape staples such as Autumn Joy Sedum or English Lavender, and also looks great in masses as well.
Would you like to attract some eyeballs to your landscape by reserving a spot in your garden for this blonde bombshell?
Scientific Name: Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’
Plant Type: Perennial
Mature Height: 12”-36”
Mature Spread: 12”-24”
Cold Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9.
Water Requirement: Very low. Grows in a wide range of soil conditions.
Exposure: Full Sun.
Flower Color & Bloom Time: Chartreuse to Gold. Summer.
Winter Interest: Gold leaves and curly seed heads.
Best Features: Profusion of gold colored eye-lash shaped seed heads. Great color and shape throughout fall into winter.
Disadvantages: unknown
Availability and Sizes: This plant seems to be regularly available.
Maintenance Tip: Shear back in late winter / early spring to give room for new growth.
Wildlife Value: unknown
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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by Todd Rutherford
One of the joys of gardening in Colorado is discovering beautiful North American native plants that thrive in our challenging growing conditions. A group of perennial flowers that are great for a low-water garden in our region are the Penstemons, also known as the Beardtongues.
Coming from the Snapdragon family of flowering plants, penstemons provide a multitude of tubular flowers on their inflorescence that rise up above their various leaves. There are over 200 species of Penstemons. Their habits range from low growing ground cover types to taller ones that work in mixed border plantings or as showy specimen plants.
Although penstemons are usually short lived, around 3-4 years, many are easy to propagate from seed. Usually the life of the plants can be extended if you don’t overwater and if you dead-head the flowers after blooming.
Two species that I’ve grown from seed and that are quite striking in the garden are Penstemon barbatus, aka Scarlet Bugler Beardtongue, and Penstemon strictus, aka Rocky Mountain Penstemon. Penstemon barbatus has smaller gorgeous bright orange-red flowers, and Penstemon strictus has larger blue-purple colored flowers.
Definitely consider adding one of the beautiful and hardy penstemons to your water smart garden.
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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by Matt Corrion
Succulents and cacti are amazing plants that are under-utilized in Colorado landscapes. These photos are from a trip I took last week to Southern California. While many of these plants would not be hardy in colder climates they are nonetheless just as beautiful and interesting. Thankfully, there are many cacti and succulents such as many varieties of Opuntia, Cholla, Agave, and Sedum that are cold hearty and will thrive in a dry landscape with minimal watering or maintenance.
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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