Gorgeous Waterwise Perennials for Colorado Gardens

Think low-water gardens have to look dull, desert-like, or weedy? Nope! Waterwise landscapes can be lush, vibrant, and pollinator friendly. Plus, they’re often a lot less work.

If you’re looking for ways to save water and get more blooms for your buck, here are a variety of beautiful, low-water perennials to inspire your Colorado garden.

You can mix and match these plants.

Key: * = Plant Select plants. Select photos courtesy of Plant Select. 

Awesome starters: Colorado native plants

Native to Front Range/southeastern Colorado

Pollinator friendly and very low fuss

This is an attractive combo of Colorado native plants if you’re just getting started with low-water gardening and/or you want to support pollinators. These native plants adapt well to many soil types, and they’re relatively forgiving.

1. Rocky Mountain penstemon (Penstemon strictus)
2. Chocolate flower* (Berlandiera lyrata) – Note: The blooms on chocolate flower close in the heat of the day
3. Winecups / purple poppy mallow* (Callirhoe involucrata)
4. Blanket flower (Gallardia artistata)
5. Dwarf rabbitbrush/Baby Blue rabbitbrush* (Ericameria nauseosa var. nauseosa)
6. Honorable mention: Prairie coneflower/Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera)

Note: Scroll down for a longer list of native plants that thrive in Denver and Front Range gardens.

Awesome starters: Drought-tolerant perennials with a more classic look

Low water, low fuss… yes, please!

Let’s say you want to use less water, but you’d like a more classic look. Here are low-water perennials to get started. Once again, they’re quite forgiving.

1. Tall-bearded iris (Iris x germanica)
2. Little Trudy catmint* (Nepeta ‘Psfike’)
3. Little Night European meadow sage (Salvia sylvestris ‘Little Night’)
4. Moonshine yarrow (Achillea ‘Moonshine’)
5. Autumn Joy sedum (Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’)

Honorable mention: Jupiter’s beard (Centranthus ruber)
Sun daisies (Osteospermum) like Purple Mountain*, Mandy*, or Avalanche White*
Lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) like Wee One*, Hidcote, and Munstead – these lavenders prefer well-drained soil

Hummingbird faves

Ring the dinner bell (and breakfast and lunch bells) for hummingbirds

• Penstemons like:
  • Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) – prefers well-drained soil
  • Desert penstemon* (Penstemon pseudospectabilis)
  • Bridge’s penstemon* (Penstemon rostiflorus)
  • Half Pint® pineleaf penstemon* (Penstemon pinifolius ‘Compactum’)
• Red birds in a tree* (Scrophularia macrantha)
• Orange Carpet® hummingbird trumpet* (Epilobium canum subsp. garrettii ‘PWWG01S’)
• Windwalker® Royal Red salvia* (Salvia darcyi x Salvia microphylla ‘PWIN03S’) – prefers well-drained soil
• Hyssops, like Sunset® hyssop* (Agastache rupestris) – prefers well-drained soil

Find more hummingbird plants for Colorado gardens here >

Perennials for winter interest

These plants can jazz up your winter landscape, adding beauty in the off-season

• Kannah Creek buckwheat* (Eriogonum umbellatum aureum ‘Psdowns’)
• Eversilver germander* (Teucrium ‘Harlequin’s Silver’)
• Mojave sage* (Salvia pachyphylla)
• Partridge feather* (Tanacetum densum ssp. Amani)
• Blonde Ambition blue grama grass* (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’)
• Desert penstemon* (Penstemon pseudospectabilis)
• Half Pint® pineleaf penstemon* (Penstemon pinifolius ‘Compactum’)

“What’s that?” plants

Unusual, low-water plants that turn heads

• Allium millenium (Allium ‘Millenium’)
• Sea holly, including: Blue cap sea holly (Eryngium planum ‘Blaukappe’), Blue Glitter sea holly (Eryngium planum ‘Blue Glitter’) or Big Blue sea holly (Eryngium zabelii ‘Big Blue’)
• Dakota Burgundy penstemon (Penstemon digitalis ‘TNPENDB’)
• Silverheels horehound* (Marrubium rotundifolium)
• Kintzley’s ghost honeysuckle* (Lonicera reticulata ‘P015S’)

Dry shade perennials

Drought-tolerant plants for spots with tough light

• Coral bells (Heuchera species), such as:
  • Sandia coral bells* (Heuchera pulchella) – native to New Mexico
  • Snow angel coral bells* ((Heuchera sanguinea ‘Snow Angel’)
• Golden columbine/Denver Gold columbine* (Aquilegia chrysantha) – native to Colorado
  • Note: Most columbines prefer moderate water
• Silver Shield French sorrel* (Rumex scutatus ‘Silver Shield’)

More drought-tolerant native plants for Colorado gardens

Attractive to pollinators; this list includes selections of wild species

• Butterfly flower/butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) – prefers well-drained soil
• Desert four o’clock (Mirabilis multiflora) – spreads horizontally, prefers well-drained soil
• Engelmann’s daisy* (Engelmannia peristennia)
• Kannah Creek buckwheat* (Eriogonum umbellatum aureum ‘Psdowns’)
• Meadow blazing star gayfeather* (Liatris ligulistylus)
• Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) – prefers well-drained soil
• Fringed sagebrush (Artemisia frigida) – prefers well-drained soil
• Many penstemons including:
  • Bridges’ penstemon* (Penstemon rostiflorus)
  • Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) – prefers well-drained soil
• Rambler mountain fleabane* (Erigeron formosissimus ‘P022S’) – prefers well-drained soil
• Rocky Mountain goldenrod* (Solidago multiradiata)
• Showy fleabane (Erigeron speciosus) – prefers well-drained soil

Additional resources that may interest you:

• Ornamental grasses for dry conditions vs moist conditions (Colorado State University Extension)
• 12 waterwise, blue perennials: Drought-tolerant plants for western gardens
• Where to learn about waterwise plants for Colorado, Utah, and similar western states