Best Plants For Winter Landscape in Colorado
Gorgeous winter landscapes add vibrancy and charm to a snowy backdrop. While pictures of striking shrubs, plants, and trees that stand out in winter are never more than a few clicks away, nothing beats the beauty of having these trees, shrubs, and plants in your own landscaping. Which plants, trees, and shrubs thrive in Colorado’s cool and dry climate? Below is a list of the best plants for winter landscape in Colorado. Read on to learn more!
Best Plants For Winter Landscape in Colorado
What Should You Consider As You Choose Plants to Add to Your Colorado Winter Garden?
The best plants for your Colorado landscape in winter months are well-matched to your USDA hardiness zone. For example, milder parts of Colorado, like Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fort Collins, fall into USDA hardiness zones 5 or 6. Selecting plants native to your region is a great way to ensure they’ll do well in your winter garden, but you don’t have to limit yourself to native plants.
In the winter months, you’ll want plants that:
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Have colorful berries. Berries add visual interest to your garden and attract birds and other small animals — giving you something fun to look at all winter.
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Feature evergreen foliage. Conifers aren’t your only choice, but they make a great addition to your winter garden.
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Boast strong stems that can withstand frost.
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Are tall enough to peek above the snow.
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Have attractive and unusual bark patterns or colors. Adding trees and shrubs with attractive bark livens up your winter landscape.
Colorado Blue Spruce
The Colorado Blue Spruce is native to the Rocky Mountains and is the perfect choice for landscape designers and gardeners wanting to create a native garden. Colorado Blue Spruce trees stand out for their gorgeous blue needles. However, watch out — Colorado Blue Spruce trees grow to be incredibly tall. A Colorado Spruce makes for an excellent centerpiece; plant it away from your home’s foundation!
Rocky Mountain Columbines
Rocky Mountain Columbines are delicate blue flowers that are best suited at high altitudes. Don’t forget to plant this official state flower in your Colorado landscape!
Mountain Laurel
Mountain laurels are evergreen shrubs with amazingly dense pink-white flower clusters. Perfect for gardeners who don’t like conifers, the Mountain Laurel features broad, glossy leaves.
Juniper
Juniper is a large family of perennial evergreen shrubs and trees that keep your garden looking green all year. Best of all? Juniper shrubs and trees thrive with benign neglect. Therefore, once your Juniper is established, you won’t need to do much to keep it alive. The Rocky Mountain Juniper is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a tree native to Colorado.
Russian Sage
Russian Sage is a beautiful perennial herb that produces striking purple flowers. Although you’ll have to cut the shrub back to winterize it, Russian sage possesses interesting velvety leaves that keep it interesting even in the winter. Russian sage is a type of shrub you can enjoy year-round.
Fescue
Fescue is an ornamental grass that comes in a few different colors and stays green year-round. Colorado gardeners searching for a type of grass that stays vibrant even in the winter should look no further!
Red-Twig Dogwood
Red-twig dogwood is an amazing native shrub with bright red stems and striking white berries in the winter. Add Red-twig dogwood shrubs to your Colorado garden to awaken the Christmas spirit!
Red-twig dogwood also produces sweet flowers that give just as much joy in spring.
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