The Best Native Plants for Northern Colorado

Why Native Plants Win in Colorado

Nursery shelves are full of plants that look great in the pot and struggle in Northern Colorado soil. Native and regionally adapted plants don't have that problem. They evolved here. They've handled 50 mph chinook winds, six-week droughts, and late May snowstorms for thousands of years.

Best Native Grasses

Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) — The quintessential Colorado native grass. Drought-tolerant, handles clay soil, produces distinctive eyelash-shaped seed heads in late summer. Works as a lawn alternative mowed at 4–6 inches or allowed to grow naturally.

Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides) — Produces a dense, fine-textured turf with minimal water. Goes dormant in winter and green-up is slower than bluegrass — but once established, needs almost no supplemental irrigation.

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) — Ornamental clumping grass with stunning russet fall color. Plant in full sun, well-drained soil. Exceptional wind tolerance.

Best Native Perennials

Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus) — Bright blue-purple flowers, June bloom, extremely drought tolerant. Deer resistant.

Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) — Yellow and red daisy flowers all summer. Reseeds reliably. Handles poor, dry soils that kill ornamental perennials.

Native Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — White flower heads, ferny foliage, spreads moderately to fill bare areas. Tolerates clay, drought, and foot traffic.

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) — Long-blooming red and yellow flowers from June through frost. Full sun, dry soil, exceptional drought tolerance.

Pro Tip: Plant natives in fall if possible. Fall planting allows root development through the cool season before summer heat and drought stress arrive. Spring-planted natives often struggle their first summer.

Best Native Shrubs

Three-Leaf Sumac (Rhus trilobata) — Brilliant orange and red fall color. Handles dry, disturbed soil on slopes where nothing else thrives. Excellent for erosion control.

Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa) — White rose flowers followed by feathery pink seed heads that persist through fall. Extremely drought tolerant.

Wild Plum (Prunus americana) — White spring flowers, small edible fruit, dense spreading form. Excellent wildlife habitat.

Design Principle

Native plants look their best when grouped in informal drifts rather than spaced formally. A single penstemon looks sparse; twenty planted in a loose cluster with native grasses looks deliberate and beautiful.

Updated on: 29/04/2026