I feel strange saying, “garden trends,” because it implies a fad.
Here today, gone tomorrow—like paint colors in a home or trendy flower colors.
I’m not here to tell you that violet is the new purple in your garden.
Instead, think of these 5 western garden trends as where landscaping is going in Colorado, Utah and the intermountain west.
These are movements that will shape our gardens today—and well into the future. Use these garden trends to inspire you as you think about your western landscape and the plants you choose.
#1: Naturalism is in.
When you think of a traditional garden, what comes to mind? Many people think of formal gardens like they have on the East Coast and Midwest.
Tidy rows of plants. Shaped hedges. Lots of symmetry. (You know, like the photos in magazines.)
But there’s a trend to create gardens that reflect more of our natural environment.
With “naturalism,” there’s a relaxed ebb and flow to the plants.
These gardens are reminiscent of what you may see in nature, like in a high plains prairie or in a mountain meadow.
If you’d like to embrace a more natural look in your garden in Colorado, Utah or a similar state, here are a few ways to start:
- Let go of symmetry.
- Plant your flowers in drifts or clumps. (This is good for pollinators too!)
- Intermingle low-growing plants (like groundcovers) among larger, structural plants.
- Integrate parts of the natural landscape into your garden design, such as boulders, rocks or tree trunks.
- Choose plants that thrive in our tricky western conditions. (More on this below!)
#2: Pollinator gardens are growing in popularity.
Bring on the bees, butterflies, birds and more! People are taking an interest in pollinator gardens—which is helpful with many types of pollinators at risk.
I used to think, “But I already have bees in my garden.”
I didn’t really get it.
What I’ve learned in recent years it that not all bees were created equal.
Commonplace bees are becoming more common, while rare bees are becoming more rare.
Some bees are generalists. They’ll seek nectar and pollen from a variety of plants. They aren’t picky.
But we also have specialist bees, and some are rare. They tend to prefer a very narrow palette of plants.
The same principle is true of other pollinators.
For example, Monarch butterflies use a specific plant (Milkweed) to host and feed their young. That’s it! Just one type of plant.
The idea behind a pollinator garden is that you create an environment that attracts and nurtures a variety of species, including the rare ones.
Biodiversity, baby!
Want to create a pollinator-friendly garden? Check out: “How do I attract bees and butterflies to my garden?”
#3: Gardening with native plants is getting lots of buzz.
For many decades, if you’d walk into a western garden center, you’d find perennials (the flowers that come back each year) that were ideal for high-moisture regions of the U.S., like the Midwest and East Coast.
Not so great for our semi-arid gardens in Colorado, Utah and the intermountain West!
Today, there’s a big push to include “native plants” in western landscapes. Native plants have been around for a looooong time—usually before European settlement.
Native plants are “ecologically adapted” to where you live. They can tolerate your soil (dirt) and local climate. They tend to be resistant to disease and troublesome insects. They create a sense of place. They feel like the West and reflect where we live.
And most importantly, native plants are excellent plants for native bees and other pollinators—especially pollinators that are in decline.
TIP: If you’d like to learn about plants that are native to where you live, visit your state’s Native Plant Society website. To find it, search for: [your state] native plant society.
#4: “Waterwise” gardens are smart gardens.
This isn’t a new gardening trend, but it’s an important one here in the semi-arid West—especially as more of us go through sustained periods of drought.
The idea behind waterwise gardens is that you:
- Choose plants that don’t need a lot of moisture to survive.
- Group plants with similar watering needs together, so you can be efficient in your irrigation. (Good for your water bill — and Mama Nature too!) In other words, you avoid placing plants that prefer lots of water next to ones that need very little water.
This doesn’t mean your yard has to look like a desert. You can still have a gorgeous flower garden!
But it does mean you may need to think differently about your plant choices. For example, a big part of waterwise gardens is embracing native plants that can tolerate drought.
You also may want to learn about waterwise plants that thrive in our sister climates. These are plants from “high steppe” regions of the world that share our growing conditions.
For example, did you know that plants that are native to Patagonia, Central Asia and the steppe region of South Africa often grow well in states like Colorado and Utah?
Yep, our gardens have more in common with Patagonia than Pittsburgh.
(Explains a few things, right?)
Does this mean you can’t plant flowers you love from other parts of the country?
Nope!
But it does help to understand that not every plant is a good fit for semi-arid gardens.
The good news is there are some plants that many people know from other places that grow well in states like Colorado. For example, bearded irises and lilacs are drought tolerant and can thrive in our tough, western growing conditions.
Looking for inspiration for drought-tolerant plants? The western plant introduction program—Plant Select—has a variety of western native plants and plants from sister regions of the world.
#5: Lawn/turf conversions are becoming more common.
I recently crossed paths with a homeowner from Park City, Utah. She was telling me that Park City residents are allotted a finite amount of water per household each year. If you exceed that amount, you have to pay a BIG financial penalty.
Yikes!
She said they pay close attention to their monthly water bill. They’ve also rethought their lawn. They still have some areas of lawn, but only where it makes sense.
As more people are looking for ways to get smart with their water use (whether it’s to save money or do good for Mama Nature), there’s a growing interest in replacing portions of traditional lawns with turf alternatives, like:
- Drought-tolerant perennials (the flowers that return year after year) and native plants
- Waterwise groundcovers
- Turf grasses that thrive in hot temperatures
These new alternatives to traditional lawns “allow homeowners to cut back on pesticides, fertilizers, mowing and watering,” says the National Wildlife Federation.
Yes, please!
Many of us have lawn grasses that thrive in cooler, damper parts of the country.
Kentucky Bluegrass, for example, is a common lawn grass in the Front Range of Colorado. It’s a “cool season” grass. It thrives in cool temperatures ranging from 40 to 70 degrees—typically going dormant in our summer heat.
Kentucky Bluegrass can be a good lawn grass for yards that get a lot of activity (like if you have young kids).
But many of us have parts of our landscape that just aren’t used that much.
In this case, it may make sense to rethink what’s planted there.
There are some types of “heat tolerant” turf grasses that do much better in hot and dry locations, like blue grama grass, buffalo grass, and special types of Bermuda grass, like Dog Tuff™ grass.
These grasses thrive in hot temperatures. They are known as “warm season” grasses. This means they grow and green up when temperatures warm up. They use significantly less water than Kentucky bluegrass, and they rarely need to be mowed. (Less work for you!)
These types of lawns may be good solutions for parts of your yard that:
- Get lots of sunlight. (Heat tolerant grasses often don’t grow well in shade.)
- Don’t get heavy foot traffic.
- Don’t have mature trees nearby that may need more water.
Dog Tuff™ Grass is an example of a heat tolerant grass. Photo credit: Kelly Grummons. Photo courtesy of Plant Select.
I’m in the process of transforming unused parts of my traditional lawn into waterwise gardens with a lot of native plants. Maybe you’ll be doing the same!
If you’d like to learn more about why turf conversions are beneficial, the National Wildlife Federation has an insightful article called: A Farewell to Lawns—Native turf-grass alternatives can reduce your environmental footprint while supporting birds, butterflies and other living creatures.
Related topics that may interest you:
- “How do I attract bees and butterflies to my garden?”
- Where to buy plants that are safe for bees in Colorado and similar states
- “Where can I learn about waterwise gardening?”
