DENVER — Colorado is known for its weather extremes, but experts say we need to put in plants that can weather (and thrive in) the state's wild temperature and precipitation swings.
Ross Shrigley, executive director of Plant Select at Colorado State University, in partnership with the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, met up with Denver7 meteorologist Danielle Grant at the Denver Botanic Gardens to talk water-wise plants.
Shrigley said many of the plants traditionally sold in Colorado are intended for places that get a lot more moisture and have different growing conditions than our beautiful state — places like the East Coast. If you’ve ever thought, "I don’t have a green thumb," or, "It's really hard to grow plants here," it can be because you aren’t getting matched to the right plants!
It's best to look for plants that can handle Colorado's tough conditions, like drought and extreme heat, according to Shrigley. These are called water-wise plants or drought-tolerant plants.
So, what is a water-wise plant, and what does it mean? Shrigley explained that these are plants you water once a week or less, rather than two or three times per week. He said they require less work and less money to water and still look great — a win for everyone.
If you want to find these kinds of plants, you can look for the specific Plant Select label at your favorite garden center. Plant Select is a nonprofit collaboration between Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University. The organization finds and tests plants to make sure they're low-water, beautiful, and resilient, so Colorado gardeners can be successful.
- Watch the video below to see some of the Plant Select, water-wise plants and flowers you could add to your backyard.