by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Best Flowers for Colorado, Utah & Similar States, Gardening for Pollinators, In-ground garden, Waterwise Gardening in the Intermountain West
Want to add a splash of color to a late summer garden?
Dig into some of the best flowers for late summer in Colorado—whether you live in Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction or another lovely Colorado town!
These late summer flowers bloom in August, September and some into October. They’re ideal if you’d like to:
- Add beautiful color and texture that will have neighbors taking notice.
- Attract pollinators to your garden, like hummingbirds and bees.
- Reduce the amount you have to water. (Yay for less work—and less water! They’re all drought tolerant plants.
They’re all perennials, so they should return for multiple years. They prefer sunny spots that get 6+ hours of sunlight per day.
If you live at a higher elevation in Colorado (or a similar western state), your growing season may not be long and warm enough for these late summer and early fall flowers. But good news, you can find a list of flowers for mountain gardens from the Colorado State University Extension.
Let’s jump in!
The best flowers for late summer in Colorado include…
Sunset Hyssop
Agastache rupestris
Hummingbirds adore Sunset Hyssop. This late summer flower is Grand Central Station for hummingbirds. You may notice butterflies, bees and sphinx moths visiting it too. And bonus, this plant is typically deer and rabbit resistant, meaning Bambi will likely visit your neighbors’ gardens first.
Sunset Hyssop is one of the more reliable hyssops in Colorado when it’s planted in sunny, well-drained locations. Translation: It has a good track record of returning when other hyssops may not! Its salmon-orange flowers tend to be the showiest in August, but you should see blooms into fall.
Sunset Hyssop is native to the mountains of the Southwest. Zones 5-10.
Not familiar with “zones?” Learn what a hardiness zone is and how to find your zone here.
Dakota Sunshine Maximilian’s Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani ‘Dakota Sunshine’
If you like sunflowers or you simply like daisy-like flowers, this may be one of the best flowers for late summer in your garden! Dakota Sunshine gets spires of showy yellow blooms that grow up tall stems. It’s a drought-tolerant perennial that can reach 5’ to 6’ tall, so it’s ideal for adding height to the back of a garden. Native to the prairies, Dakota Sunshine blooms in August into early September. It’s a favorite of bees when it’s blooming. When it goes to seed later in the fall, the seedheads attract birds. Zones 3-8.
If you’d like a version of this plant that blooms in the fall, look for Maximilian Sunflower. It grows even taller—often 6′ to 8′ in height—and typically blooms in September and October in western states like Colorado.
I found Dakota Sunshine at High Country Gardens. You also may be able to find these plants at local, independent garden centers.
Autumn Joy Sedum
Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’
So many reasons to love Autumn Joy Sedum, so little time! This perennial has beautiful pink flowers that appear in late summer and last into fall. Honeybees love the flowers.
Autumn Joy has thick leaves that add great structure and textural contrast to a garden. It tends to be a longer-lived perennial, coming back for many years. It adapts well to our tricky Colorado weather and soils (dirt). And during the winter, its seed heads can catch snow, adding interest to your winter garden too. Zones 4-11.
Meadow Blazing Star Liatris (aka, Rocky Mountain Gayfeather)
Liatris ligulistylus
When I’m strolling through the Denver Botanic Gardens in August and September, this is the plant I usually hear people asking about. It’s an attention getter.
Blazing Star Liatris sends up vertical shoots of rosy-purple flowers that look like fuzzy buttons. The narrow, vertical shape of this plant offers a nice contrast to round-shaped plants in late summer gardens. And its flowers are extremely attractive to adult butterflies, including Monarchs. In my garden, Blazing Star Liatris also attracts native bees—particularly bumblebees.
If you see the words, Liatris punctata (Dotted Blazing Star) or Liatris ligulistylus (Meadow Blazing Star), on the plant tag, your plant is native to Colorado and the Central Plains. Zones 4-9 and 3-8.
If you see Liatris spicata (Dense Blazing Star) on the plant tag, it’s native to the eastern United States. It tends to prefer more moisture.
Goldenrod
Solidago
Many Goldenrods put on a show with their vibrant, golden flowers in late summer and early fall. There are many species of Goldenrod that are native to different parts of North America, and you can find them in a variety of heights. Look for Goldenrods that bloom in August and September.
Goldenrod flowers are extremely attractive to a wide variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. In my garden, tiny native bees love these plants. Zones 4-8.
Goldenrod has been blamed for seasonal allergies like hay fever, but this is a garden myth that has been disproven. The allergy-causing culprits are typically wind-pollinated plants like ragweed, which happen to bloom at the same time.
Little Bluestem Grass
Schizachyrium scoparium
Ornamental grasses are in their glory in late summer and early fall. One of my faves is Little Bluestem.
It has a column-like shape rather than a round, mounded shape, so it fits in well in small urban gardens, as well as spacious western landscapes.
Native to Colorado (and the prairies of much of the United States), many varieties of this blue-green grass turn a red color in the fall, making it a wonderful accent to other plants. During winter, it can take on a bronze hue with light seed heads, so it can add colorful interest to your winter garden too. Zones 3-8.
Ruby Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia reverchonii
If you’re looking for a late summer flower that’s a showstopper for your Colorado garden, check out Ruby Muhly Grass. It has airy, pink seed heads that dance in the wind and catch the late summer light. It’s ethereal! And it’s another ornamental grass that looks beautiful in the fall and through the winter.
Ruby Muhly Grass grows in a mounded shape, up to a few feet wide.
If you live in the Denver area, you can see beautiful examples of Ruby Muhly Grass at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Zones 5-10.
Blue Mist Spirea
Caryopteris x clandonensis
Blue Mist Spirea is an easy-to-grow shrub that’s covered with blue flowers in late summer. It often blooms for up to 8 weeks during August and September. This shrub is a pollinator MAGNET! It attracts a variety of bees and butterflies in late summer—when many other shrubs and perennials are done blooming. And bonus, deer and rabbits tend to skip it.
Use Blue Mist Spirea to add structural interest to your garden, as a border plant or in a hedge. It grows to about 3 to 4’ wide and tall. Zones 5-8.
Dwarf Rabbitbrush (aka, Baby Blue Rabbitbrush)
Ericameria (Chrysothamnus) nauseosus var. nauseosus
Dwarf rabbitbrush offers vibrant, late summer flowers that attract native bees and butterflies.
As the name suggests, dwarf rabbitbrush is a mini version of rabbitbrush. It grows up to 2′ tall and 3′ wide. It’s native to Colorado’s Front Range. It has dense, silver-blue foliage and keeps its shape well. It lights up with golden flowers in late summer and fall in Colorado, often from September to November.
Rabbitbrush can spread its seeds like a fairy godmother tossing pixie dust, so be prepared to pull some seedlings. This shrub benefits from a light shearing in the late fall or early spring to increase next season’s flowers. Zones 4-9.
Related topics that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Gardening Tips and Tricks, In-ground garden, Western Container Gardening With Flowers
When you’re strolling through the garden center or dashing into the grocery store and all those pretty flowers are smiling up at you, it’s hard not to choose the showiest flowers you see.
“Well, helloooooo there.”
But if you’d like your fall flowers to last longer, hold up!
There are ways to choose flowers that last longer… and hint, this means resisting the urge to buy the flowers that look the prettiest.
TIP 1: Look for the flower plants with a lot of new buds (rather than just open blooms)
Do you see the yellow mum plant below?
The flowers have opened and are gorgeous.
But because these flower blooms have already opened, they likely won’t last as long when you get them home.
They’ve already used up some of their bloom time.
Instead, look for plants that resemble this second set of mums (below).
Do you see how this plant has lots of new buds?
These flowers should last longer for you when you get them home because these flower blooms haven’t opened yet.
You can use this tip when buying annuals OR perennials
I use this tip when I pick annuals (the one-season flowers) for my flowerpots in the spring and fall.
I also use it when buying perennials (the flowers that come back every year) for my western garden.
If you want your flowers to last longer, it helps to look for plants with new buds. They don’t always look the prettiest in the store, but that’s just because they haven’t fully opened yet.
But what if you aren’t sure what color the flowers are going to be?
Great question!
Sometimes it’s hard to know what the color is when the flowers haven’t opened yet.
Tip #2: There are several ways to figure out flower color
- Look for any open flowers on the plant.
- Check the plant tag to see if the plant tag lists the color. Sometimes, the flowers have the color in their name or in the photo on the tag.
- You can check the nearby plants. If the same type of flower has already opened, you can see the color.
Tip #3: For many flowers, their blooms don’t last as long when it’s hot
Where I live in Colorado, we can get heat waves well into the fall.
It may be the same where you live too.
If you want to buy fall flowers — like mums — and you want them to last as long as possible, you may not want to buy them the week that blazing hot temperatures are in the forecast.
Those flowers tend to go through their blooms quickly when it’s hot, meaning they won’t last as long.
Just a lil’ something to think about!
Related tips that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Gardening Tips and Tricks, Western Container Gardening With Flowers
It would be awesome to be named “The Perfect Gardener” after a summer of growing flowers — complete with dancing squirrels and a pitch-perfect choir of cicadas.
But alas, most of us weren’t born with a spade in one hand and a geranium in the other.
So, the next best thing is to find ways to shorten our learning curve for next year.
As we near the end of the summer flowerpot season in western states like Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, it’s a great time to ask…
How’d your flowerpots turn out?
- Which flowers made your heart sing with joy?
- Which flowers were duds?
- What would you do again next year?
- And what would you change?
Now, before your mind starts shouting:
“Ugggghhhhhh, gardening is so much work!!!”
I say:
Keep it simple, baby.
You can do this on your phone with just a few pics.
If you’re feeling ambitious, add in a couple of helpful notes in between sips of your favorite pumpkin spice latte.
Here are 3 ways to keep this simple:
(1) Take a quick photo of each flowerpot with your phone.
Don’t worry about getting the lighting perfect. These photos are just to help you remember what you planted and how your container garden turned out.
If you want to stop here, that’s fine. You’ve got a good visual record for next year.
If you like to stay organized, add the photos to a new album on your phone. Name the album something easy to remember like: Flowers 2022.
Tip: Feel free to use photos you took earlier in the season, especially if that’s when your container garden looked prettiest. Or, if you want to see the growth of your pots, it’s always fun to include a “just planted” image from early in the summer and a late season image (like a before and after).
(2) If you saved your plant tags when you bought your plants, snap photos of those too.
Saving the plant tags is a simple way to keep track of the flower varieties you bought, particularly if:
- You loved a specific flower or
- You don’t want to repeat a specific flower next year
If you didn’t save your plant tags this year, no worries. You can do it next year.
Tip: You also can snap these photos when you plant your containers.
I like to group the plant tags together by flowerpot to make them easier to remember, but you don’t have to be this structured. Here are a few ways to group them:
- Group your plant tags into “winners” and “duds” (flowers you loved and flowers you wouldn’t repeat)
- Group your plant tags by flowerpot
Here’s an example of organizing the plant tags by flowerpot:
If you have a bazillion photos in your phone, like me, and you want to stay organized:
- Add these photos of your plant tags to your “Flowers 2022” folder.
That way, you’ll have them at your fingertips when you go back to the garden center next year. And, you’ll know EXACTLY which flowers you bought.
(3) Jot down anything you want to remember in your Notes app.
It can be helpful to add notes on your phone, so they’re easily accessible next year too.
But, if you prefer to write them out or type them on your computer, feel free to do that instead! You can always take a photo of your notes.
If you’re wondering what to write down, here are a few questions to consider:
- Which flowers did you really like? (Why?)
- Which flowers were duds? (Why?)
- Which flowers were too much work?
- Which flowers got gobbled up by Japanese beetles, deer or other critters?
- What would you do again in future flowerpots?
- What would you do differently?
You don’t have to turn into Leo Tolstoy here and write a 1200-page novel. There’s no need to answer ALL these questions or write notes about every flowerpot.
Just note what you want to remember. Make your thoughts as short as you want.
Don’t know the names of the flowers in your containers? No worries! You can say “the purple flower” or “the lime-green vine.” You’ll have the photo to go with your note, so you can see what it looks like.
(BTW, this is another bonus to saving the plant tags. They help you learn plant names.)
Here are examples of notes I’ve taken:
Now, you’ll have everything easily organized on your phone.
You’ll be able to quickly pull up your photos and notes when you start thinking about planting next spring.
You’ll be able to avoid anything that may have gone slightly awry this summer.
And if you’d like, you can repeat the flowers that looked really, really good.
Because we are all about gardening smarter, not harder, am I right?
Related topics that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Best Flowers for Colorado, Utah & Similar States, Garden design Ideas, Gardening Tips and Tricks, In-ground garden
No one wants to end up with extra garden chores and sad-looking plants
But that’s what can happen if you accidentally pick plants that are known to struggle in Colorado landscapes — particularly during winter.
So, in this tip, you’ll get the scoop on 3 popular plants to AVOID planting in Colorado and similar western states. These plants can be high maintenance here. (Do you remember the TV show, “What Not to Wear?” Think of this article as: “What Not to Plant.”)
These 3 plants are very popular in other parts of the country, but they don’t like our winters. They tend to struggle in our:
- Dry climate
- Drying winter winds
- Intense winter sun
- Big temperature swings (from above freezing, to below freezing like a kindergarten seesaw)
You’ll probably see these plants at your garden center, so use this article to be a smarter shopper. Let’s dig in!
Boxwoods
Boxwoods are decorative shrubs. They grow well in regions of the country with milder winters. It’s hard to open a garden magazine without seeing a lush, eastern garden that’s lined with boxwoods.
Boxwoods are evergreen. When they’re planted in a place where they’re happy, they typically stay green through the entire winter. I like to think of evergreen plants as staying “forever green.” It also means they don’t go dormant (into hibernation mode), so it’s important to keep them regularly watered through the winter.
Want to learn more about winter watering? Find helpful tips from Colorado State University in this PDF.
Unfortunately, in western states like Colorado and Utah, boxwoods can be temperamental
During the winter, boxwood leaves have a tendency to dry out — often turning brown or orange.
You also may see translucent yellow leaves (like the leaves below in the upper left).
You may hear this called “winter burn,” and it isn’t a pretty look.
When you see boxwoods at the garden center, they’re going to look lush, green and super cute. But save yourself the headaches and skip them!
“But I have my heart set on boxwoods!” In this case, head to a locally-owned garden center. Ask whether they carry types of boxwoods that have a better track record in states like Colorado and Utah.
You may have more luck if you plant boxwoods in sheltered places in your yard that face east, northeast or north.
And just know they’re likely going to need more work and water to keep them looking good.
Manhattan Euonymus
(pronounced: yoo-on-uh-muhs)
These plants are like super-sized boxwoods. When they’re green, they look good.
But this is another shrub that can struggle in Colorado winters
You may be wondering, “Okay, so what does winter damage look like on a Manhattan euonymus?”
The leaves on your Manhattan euonymus will turn yellow. The may become brittle and dried out. The leaves will start dropping off.
As the dead leaves slowly fall off, it’s like bad New Year’s Eve confetti. You may find yourself raking up these leaves for months … and months … and months.
(I’m speaking from personal experience here. I used to have Manhattan euonymus in my yard.)
With good watering, you should get buds for new leaves when temperatures warm up, but it takes time. When these shrubs get winter burn, they don’t look good for much of the year.
If you want shrubs that stay consistently green through our yo-yo temperature swings during winter, this isn’t it. 🙂
Add Manhattan euonymus to your “What NOT to plant in Colorado and similar western states” list.
Arborvitaes
(pronounced: arbor-vie-tees)
Arborvitaes are trees and shrubs that are often used as hedges.
They’re a popular landscape plant in humid regions of the country. They grow quickly, and they’re evergreen. Again, this means typically stay green over the winter. They don’t go dormant.
But arborvitaes are another plant to avoid in Colorado landscapes
Arborvitaes like a lot of moisture, so they may struggle if you aren’t great about winter watering.
Not to mention, our drying winter winds and our harsh freezes can be brutal for them. You may see them turn brown — almost like a rust color.
Some years, your arborvitaes may do fine and make it through the winter without an issue.
Other years?
Not so much.
If you want to save yourself some headaches (and avoid the expense of replacing dead plants), skip arborvitaes in your Colorado landscape.
So, does this mean you CAN’T plant any of these shrubs and trees?
Friends, the beauty of gardening is you can try planting (almost) anything. You may be able to find a protected location in your yard where these plants are less vulnerable to winter damage.
But if you’re planning your landscape in Colorado, Utah or a similar western state, growing plants that are better adapted to our winters will take less effort!
Related tips that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Gardening Tips and Tricks, Western Container Gardening With Flowers
I used to think that once you planted your flowerpots, that was it. Your flower babies were in there for the long haul.
But I’ve come to appreciate that you can swap out the flowers in your pots.
It’s like changing your wardrobe for the seasons.
If you want to change the flowers in your flowerpots, you can — especially in the late summer to early fall. You can change just one flower. Or, you can change them all.
Why would you change the flowers in your pots?
There are all kinds of reasons.
Let’s say:
- You want to spice up your flowerpots for a new season — like transitioning from spring to summer, or summer to fall.
- You have an empty gap in your pots. Some of your flowers didn’t fill in quite like you thought they would.
- You’d like to add in more color.
- You have perennials planted in your flowerpots. They’re done blooming for the season. (Perennials are the flowers that can come back each year, but often bloom for a short amount of time.)
- There’s a flower in your flowerpot that doesn’t look so good or it may have died. (No judgment! It happens.)
Late summer to early fall can be a good time to add in new flowers
As we transition to fall, one of my favorite flowers to add to my flowerpots is Black Eyed Susan.
(This plant goes by many names, including Rudbeckia and Gloriosa Daisy.)
You can find it in a lot of pretty colors, as you can see below.
Black Eyed Susans give flowerpots a bright pop of color. They can bloom for a long time.
Best of all, these flowers feel like fall — like a Sunday drive to go leaf peepin’ or the sweet smell of mulled apple cider after a trip to the pumpkin patch.
Give your flowerpots a fresh look for fall
If you’d like to freshen up your flowerpots for fall, you can pop in flowers like…
- Black-Eyed Susans (aka, Gloriosa Daisies)
- Mums
- Ornamental Cabbage
- Ornamental Kale
- Pansies
- Violas
You can see some examples below.
Helpful tips if you change the flowers in your flowerpots
1) Keep your new flowers well-watered
Flowers tend to like A LOT of water when they’re newly planted in flowerpots, especially in our late-summer heat.
You may need to water your pots more than you have been doing.
Keep your eye on your newly-planted flowers. They can get droopy or crispy quickly.
2) Keep your eye on temperatures
Many fall flowers are “cool season” flowers.
They’re happiest when our days and nights start to cool down.
This means you may want to hold off on planting flowers like Pansies, Violas and Ornamental Cabbage until temperatures start to cool off. For example, Pansies tend to be in their happy place when daytime temps are in the upper 50s and 60s, and nighttime temps are in the 40s.
3) Look for plants that have new buds on them (meaning all the flowers haven’t opened yet)
This is one way to ensure that you’ll get longer-lasting color from your new flowers.
If you’d like to see photos of what I’m talking about, check out these 3 simple tips to pick fall flowers that bloom longer.
Related topics that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Gardening Tips and Tricks, Western Container Gardening With Flowers
What can you do with the dirt in your pots after your flowers have died?
Good news! You have a few options for what to do with old potting soil.
Let’s assume, for a sec, your plants were healthy at the end of the season. If yes…
Here are 4 things to do with old potting soil:
1) You can put the soil in a sealable container. Store it outside for next season.
An old garbage can works well because the lid creates a good seal and the wheels make it easier to move. But any type of storage container that you can seal should work.
The nutritional value is gone from the soil, so you wouldn’t want to use it on its own next season. But next year, it’s possible to mix it together with fresh ingredients — like new potting soil or “compost.” Compost is a mix of organic materials used to improve soil.
This approach allows you to re-use some of your old potting soil.
Why use a sealable container?
- It helps keeps pathogens out — aka, things that could make your plants sick next year.
- It helps prevent insects from laying their eggs and overwintering in your soil. (Yep, it happens.)
- And it’s just an easy way to store it.
2) You may be able to take used potting soil to a yard waste drop-off program.
Many cities offer “leaf and yard waste drop-off” programs in the fall. They’re a great way to dispose of the materials from your flowerpots, like your dead flowers and old soils. And the materials you drop off will be used to create compost, which is good for our soils and plants.
The companies that do commercial composting have machines that can heat the soil and leaf material to very hot temperatures, so the compost can be safely used next year.
To see if your city offers this type of program:
- Look on your city’s website OR check nearby cities. Some cities only make these programs available to their own residents. But other towns make their leaf and yard-waste drop off services available to anyone.
- Search for words like, “Leaf drop-off,” or, “Yard-waste drop-off.” Often times, these programs aren’t advertised as composting programs.
- Read up on what’s allowed for yard waste. Dead flowers are usually allowed, but make sure they’ll take your used potting soil too. I usually take the potting soil with me and ask when I get there. (I’ve never had an issue, but I imagine it can vary by city.)
- Follow the instructions for the drop-off. For example, you may be asked to put your yard waste in brown composting bags. They look like tall paper bags. You often can find them at local hardware stores. Or, the instructions may say you can bring your yard waste in any type of container. They’re just going to have you dump it out — as was the case in the photo above.
3) You can add the old soil (and flowers) to your own compost pile.
Home composting is a topic for another time. But just know it’s another thing you can do!
4) You can mix old potting soil into your flower garden beds or spread it lightly across the top.
The dirt from your flowerpots isn’t adding anything beneficial from a nutritional perspective. Over the summer, all the good stuff left the soil with each watering.
But we have such tricky soils in the Rocky Mountain region — like clay and sand. The potting soil may help improve the structure of your soil in the ground. That can lead to better water drainage for your plants, so they have happier roots.
And hey, it beats putting the soil in a landfill.
Here are a few tips:
- It’s easiest to add old potting soil to areas that don’t have plants.
- But you also can spread a thin layer of potting soil on the ground near plants. Keep it away from the “crowns” of your plants. The crown is where a plant’s stem comes up from the ground. It’s where the stem and roots connect to each other.
- If you’re going to mix the old soil into the ground near existing plants like perennials (the plants that return each year), be careful where you dig. You don’t want to disturb any plant roots.
What if your flowers had disease issues at the end of the season?
Then, put ALL the contents from that flowerpot in the trash — including the potting soil.
Disease can carry over from one year to the next in both the soil AND on the flowerpots themselves. It’s possible to accidentally spread last season’s issues to next season’s flowers.
You also may want to sterilize your flowerpots, so you can keep next season’s flowers from getting sick.
Are you the extra-thorough type?
If you want to reuse some of your potting soil next year, it’s possible to sterilize your old potting soil to reduce insect and disease issues. The University of California Extension has helpful tips on how to heat up your potting soil to the right temperature. (Scroll to page 5 of their PDF.)
Full disclosure, I’ve never done this.
But it’s worth considering if you had disease or insect issues this year, and you really want to reuse your old potting soil.
Cheers to you for exploring what to do with old potting soil and finding ways to use it in a productive way!
Related tips that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Best Flowers for Colorado, Utah & Similar States, Gardening for Pollinators, Waterwise Gardening in the Intermountain West
Most of these spring flowers are low maintenance too!
Let’s say you want to add a splash of color to your spring garden, but you live someplace dry, like Colorado or Utah. It would be nice to find spring flowers that don’t need a lot of watering, right? (Less work for you—and good for Mama Nature too!)
The question is: Are there drought-tolerant spring flowers?
Yes!
Here are 5 drought-tolerant spring flowers that can grow well in sunny, dry gardens in Colorado, Utah and similar states. They’ll keep your watering and work to a minimum.
Crocus
Crocuses are drought-tolerant spring flowers that come in a variety of colors, like purple, white, gold, yellow and lavender.
You plant crocus bulbs (known as “corms”) in the fall, and they bloom early in the spring. Their early spring blooms are important because they can offer nectar and pollen for early emerging bees. Plus, it’s nice to see pretty color in your garden after a long winter.
These small flowers tend to look the showiest when you plant a mass of them together (“en masse” or “in drifts”). Crocuses also can look pretty when you plant them in small clumps of flowers. Just avoid planting them individually because you won’t get that showy splash of color.
Garden lingo bingo: Crocuses “naturalize” easily. This means they should increase in number and come back each year. Yesss!
Wildflower tulip
Wildflower tulips are another drought-tolerant spring flower for sunny, dry gardens.
They’re the smaller cousins of the showy tulips you’ll see in the spring. Wildflower tulips aren’t as flashy as their cousins, but they tend to be hardier, more reliable and last many more years.
These tulips are sometimes called “species tulips.” These lil’ guys are from the wild species of tulips.
Wildflower tulips have more of a natural, western vibe than their cousins. They’re a pretty addition to sunny rock gardens, front borders of gardens and natural-looking landscapes.
You can even plant them in “warm season” lawns—grass that doesn’t green up until it gets hot—like buffalo grass. Warm season lawns are usually drought tolerant and don’t need a lot of water, so wildflower tulips are a good match.
Wildflower tulips are a spring flowering bulb. You plant them in the fall, and they bloom in early- to mid-spring. They’re another spring flower that can “naturalize” in gardens. They should multiple and come back each year.
Pollinator tip! Wildflower tulips offer a good source of nectar and pollen for many hungry bees that are emerging after winter.
Muscari / grape hyacinth
First, a lil’ more garden lingo bingo…
In casual conversation, you’ll hear these flowers called both muscari and grape hyacinth. (Can you see their resemblance to small clusters of grapes in the photo above?) I suggest using the name: “muscari.” Why? Because there’s another spring flower known as a hyacinth too, but it isn’t related. It can get confusing.
Muscari are small flowers that bloom in mid-spring.
One of the most popular muscari (Muscari armeniacum) comes in a beautiful, deep blue color. Yes, blue! But you can find other colors too, including white, purple and yellow.
This is another flower that tends to look showiest when you plant quite a few of them together. I think they look pretty when they’re planted next to silver-leafed plants. I love the contrast.
Muscari are drought-tolerant spring flowering bulbs. You plant them in the fall, and they bloom in the spring. They can tolerate clay soil (the dirt that many of us have), as well as dry conditions. Very helpful for gardens in Colorado, Utah and the intermountain west!
This is another flower that will attract pollinators, like bees. They’ll naturalize too (coming back year after year).
Hybrid tulip
These are the classic tulips you’ll see in the spring. Typically, they don’t mind our dry conditions in states like Colorado and Utah.
Hybrid tulips can be short lived and a little unpredictable in the intermountain west. Some will only last a few years. But they sure are showy while you have them.
Worth noting… tulips are popular with more than just people. Critters love them too. If deer, rabbits, squirrels or other wildlife have been known to treat your garden as an all-you-can-eat buffet, you may want to skip tulips. Fending off critters may not be a low maintenance experience.
Hybrid tulips grow from bulbs that—yep, you guessed it—you plant in the fall.
Bearded iris
Bearded irises come in a full spectrum of colors—just about every color you can imagine!
They remind me of where I grew up in Michigan. I was excited to learn these late spring flowers also thrive in sunny, dry gardens in the West. I’ve seen bearded irises growing as far south as the Tucson Botanical Gardens in southern Arizona.
There are many things to like about bearded irises in semi-arid states like Colorado and Utah.
Bearded irises are drought tolerant, so they look good even with our low precipitation. You can grow them in our alkaline soils (our tricky western dirt). They’re rabbit resistant AND deer resistant, which means rabbits and deer prefer to eat other plants first. And overall, irises don’t like a lot of fuss.
Yay for low maintenance spring flowers!
Bearded irises don’t grow from a bulb. Instead, they grow from “rhizomes” you plant in July, August or September. Rhizomes look like narrow, little potatoes. A rhizome is actually a modified stem of the plant. (Isn’t nature cool?)
When you plant your irises from July to September, you’ll give them time to establish their roots before it gets too cold.
Related topics that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Best Flowers for Colorado, Utah & Similar States
It may seem like a strange time to chat about spring flowers…
… when we have pumpkins and Halloween decorations appearing in stores.
But if you’re interested in growing spring flowers…
Autumn is the ideal time to plant spring bulbs in most parts of the West.
For example:
- In most elevations of Colorado, the ideal times to plant spring bulbs are typically late September and October.
- In northern Utah, the ideal times are usually October and early November.
Yep, you plant these flowers in the fall — not the spring!
Weird, right?
Okay, technically, you plant their bulbs.
Think of a bulb like a battery for the plant.
It stores energy (food and water) for the flower.
It may seem counter-intuitive that you plant spring bulbs in the fall, but:
- Bulbs need to go through a cold period, so they can come up and give you big, showy color in the spring.
- They also need a little time to establish their roots before the ground freezes.
Here are 3 popular spring flowers for western gardens.
These spring flowers offer beautiful pops of color, and they’re relatively low maintenance. (Cheers to that!)
Once planted, these flowers can return for several years with minimal effort.
Tulips
(officially, Tulipa)
This is what tulips look like. They come in a WIDE range of colors.
Tulips bloom in the spring, but not all at one time.
There are early, middle and late spring tulips.
This means that some start blooming earlier than others.
The package of bulbs you buy or the signage at the garden center should tell you when the tulips will bloom (early, middle or late spring).
That way, you can pick bulbs with the bloom at different times, so you can get longer-lasting color.
Tulips like sunny conditions and soil that drains well.
If you have a damp spot where water sits in the ground or if your soil is dense clay, it’s probably not the best place for tulips.
What’s dense clay like, you ask?
Imagine sticking your shovel in the ground, and the soil sticks to your shovel like bubble gum to a shoe.
When clay soil is damp, it’s sticky, heavy and dense. It’s tough for water to drain.
Tulips don’t mind if the ground is on the dryer side during the summer, which is good for our semi-arid summers in the West.
In my opinion, the biggest downside to tulips is…
… that animals LOVE them.
Deer, rabbits, squirrels, voles. Take a number!
In my back garden, squirrels decapitate my tulips every spring, just as the petals are opening.
I’ve tried a variety of suggested remedies, from animal-repellent sprays to cayenne pepper. (Seriously.)
The only thing I’ve found that works is to fence the tulips off.
Not the prettiest look, ahem.
So, if you have critters, you may want to check out the other spring flowers below.
Daffodils
(officially, Narcissus)
These are daffodils. They come in colors like yellow, white, orange, peach or pink.
Typically, daffodils prefer sunny conditions and soil that drains well.
You may be able to get away with a partially sunny spot, but your daffodils may not bloom as well.
In the semi-arid west, you may want to plant your daffodils near a downspout or a low spot in your garden.
Why?
Daffodils tend to be happiest with moist (but not wet) soil.
If the ground is too wet, daffodil bulbs will rot.
Daffodils are not only beautiful, they’re also resistant to many animals.
YESSS!!
Normally, deer, rabbits and other rodents avoid daffodils. That’s a plus if you live in an area with your fair share of critters.
(Daffodils can be toxic to dogs, so keep that in mind if you have fur babies.)
Allium
(commonly known as Ornamental Onion)
Allium flowers add a hint of whimsy to your garden. They look like giant lollipops!
They’re one of my favorite spring flowers.
You can find allium flowers in purple, white and even blue.
Yes, BLUE!
Similar to tulips and daffodils, allium will give you the best show when you plant them in places in your garden that get a lot of sun.
And like the other spring flowers we’ve discussed, allium flowers bloom at staggered times.
Allium are related to onions.
In fact, they’re commonly referred to as “ornamental onions.”
Deer are not big fans of these plants.
Rabbits tend to avoid most allium as well.
When allium flowers are done blooming, you may see gardeners spray-paint the finished blooms.
Check out the photo below for an example.
I think this is a fun trick to highlight the colorful, round shapes after the flower petals fall off.
You also can just snip off the dead blooms.
That way, the plant can focus its energy on recharging its bulb for next season.
If you live in Idaho, Oregon or Washington: Your states have special restrictions on buying allium bulbs. The University of Idaho Extension has a helpful publication explaining the rules for Idaho.
Do you live someplace with really cold winter temperatures?
Some types of tulips, daffodils and allium do better than others in frigid temperatures.
If you have a mountain garden or you live someplace with really cold winters, make sure the bulbs you’re buying grow well in your “plant hardiness zone.”
Not sure what a plant hardiness zone is? Get the scoop here.
Related tips that may interest you:
by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024 | Gardening Tips and Tricks, In-ground garden
Let’s say you’d like to grow pretty spring flowers in your western garden, like tulips or daffodils.
Awesome! These spring flowers grow from bulbs that you plant in the fall in Colorado, Utah and the West.
Here are a few examples of spring flowering bulbs:
In this week’s tip, you’ll get 5 helpful tips for buying spring flowering bulbs.
Tip 1: The best time to plant spring bulbs is when your weather starts to cool.
Generally, it’s a good idea to plant your bulbs when temperatures start to cool off — but there’s still time before the ground freezes. That way, your bulbs have time to establish their roots.
(Yep, bulbs have roots!)
Look for days when temperatures are in the 60s. For example:
- The best time to plant bulbs in Colorado’s Front Range is usually October.
- In western Colorado and northern Utah, the timing is often October into early November.
The timing can vary slightly from year to year. If you’re getting blazing-hot temps and it still feels like summer, it’s likely too early to plant your spring flowering bulbs.
So, what does this tip have to do with buying spring flowering bulbs?
It’s common to buy bulbs earlier than they should be planted. Simply put them in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to plant, so they don’t dry out.
Tip 2: Spring flowering bulbs often start appearing in stores in August and September.
Typically, you can buy spring flowering bulbs from:
- Independent garden centers
- Online retailers like High Country Gardens (they often have unusual bulbs)
- Costco and similar retailers
- Home improvement stores
- Bulb sales at local botanic gardens (For example, the Denver Botanic Gardens typically has a spring bulb sale in late September. The Durango Botanic Gardens often has a spring bulb sale in August with bulb delivery in October.)
If you live in Idaho, Oregon or Washington, you may have restrictions on where you can buy some types of bulbs (like allium). You can get the scoop in this publication from the University of Idaho Extension.
Tip 3: Spring flowering bulbs are sold in different types of packages.
You can buy bulbs as:
- Pre-assembled packages (sometimes with several types of flowers)
- Individual bulbs you can choose from open containers
Buying a pre-assembled package is easy. You just pick the bag of flowers you want and go!
The tradeoff is that you may not be able to tell whether you have healthy bulbs in your package.
If your package contains several types of flowers, the bulbs may be all mixed together or they may be bagged separately. In the photo below, you’ll see two types of daffodil bulbs that were included in the same package. (I like it when they’re bagged separately because you have a little more control over the design.)
Sometimes, you can pick individual bulbs at local garden centers. But this is becoming less common.
Why would you want to choose each bulb individually?
- You can be picky and look for healthy bulbs.
- You can choose as many bulbs as you like.
The downside is you have to trust that the right bulbs are in the right containers. If someone picked up a bulb and put it back in the wrong place, you may not be able to tell … until that flower comes up next spring.
(Hooray for surprises!)
Tip 4: Here’s how to choose healthy bulbs, so you aren’t wasting money on duds.
Think of a flower bulb as a battery. It stores energy for the plant. Ideally, you want the bulb to be fully charged (totally hydrated), as big as it can be, and in good condition.
With that in mind:
- Don’t mind the papery skin — it’s good for the bulb! Bulbs have a brown, papery skin on them, kind of like an onion. It’s called a tunic. The tunic is good for a bulb. It helps keep moisture in the bulb.
- Choose the heavier bulbs. You want the bulbs to feel heavy in your hand. Hold a few, so you can get a sense for which ones weigh more than others. If a bulb feels light, it’s probably dehydrated. Don’t choose that one. (Keep in mind, some types of flowers have small bulbs, so “heavy” is relative.)
- Look for the biggest bulbs of the bunch. Yep, size matters in most cases. There is a correlation between the size of the flower and the size of the bulb.
- Focus on the bulbs with minimal blemishes. If the papery tunic has fallen off (it happens), look at the condition of the bulb underneath. Ideally, the bulb should look smooth, creamy and firm. If the bulb has nicks and blemishes, is turning brown, is shriveled, or looks moldy, it’s a good idea to skip that one.
These tips are helpful when you’re picking individual bulbs.
But you can also use them to inspect bulbs that come in clear or semi-clear packages. You can pick out the best bag of the bunch.
Tip 5: Spring flowering bulbs bloom at different times.
You may want to choose bulbs that bloom at different times of the spring. That way, you’ll have longer-lasting color.
Usually, you can find the description of when the bulbs will bloom on the package. I’ve included a few examples below, so you can see what I mean.
By the way, this approach can help you with our wacky spring weather in Colorado and Utah too. Let’s say you get freezing temperatures in the spring that ruin some of your blooms. If you have flowers that bloom at different times, you may still get color from your other spring flowers.
It’s like you’re hedging your bets with Mama Nature.
Ah, the joys of living in the intermountain west! 🙂
Related tips that may interest you:
