Native plants for Denver xeriscapes
Colorado native and adapted plants we use in Front Range landscapes, with bloom time, mature size, sun, and water needs for each. Most of this list is the palette from the Congress Park native garden.
Want help choosing? See native plant installation or our top native plants for Denver.
Perennials & wildflowers
Bearded Penstemon
Penstemon secundiflorus
- Bloom
- June — July
- Height
- 12—18 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia laciniata
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 24—36 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Blanket Flower
Gaillardia aristata
- Bloom
- June — September
- Height
- 12—24 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Lemon Mint
Monarda citriodora
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 12—24 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Missouri Evening Primrose
Oenothera macrocarpa
- Bloom
- May — August
- Height
- 8—12 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
- Bloom
- June — August
- Height
- 12—18 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Prairie Zinnia
Zinnia grandiflora
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 8—12 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Purple Blazing Star
Liatris punctata
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 12—24 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 24—36 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 12—18 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Scarlet Globemallow
Sphaeralcea coccinea
- Bloom
- June — August
- Height
- 12—24 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
- Bloom
- June — August
- Height
- 24—36 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
- Bloom
- August — October
- Height
- 18—36 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Sulphur Flower Buckwheat
Eriogonum umbellatum
- Bloom
- June — August
- Height
- 6—12 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Winecups
Callirhoe involucrata
- Bloom
- May — July
- Height
- 6—12 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Ornamental & native grasses
Arizona Fescue
Festuca arizonica
- Bloom
- July — August
- Height
- 18—24 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 12—18 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Buffalo Grass
Bouteloua dactyloides
- Bloom
- June — August
- Height
- 4—8 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
- Bloom
- August — September
- Height
- 24—36 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
- Bloom
- August — September
- Height
- 18—24 inches (36 inches in bloom)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Shrubs
Big Sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata
- Bloom
- August — September
- Height
- 24—48 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Boulder Raspberry
Rubus deliciosus
- Bloom
- May — June
- Height
- 36—60 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Creeping Mahonia
Mahonia repens
- Bloom
- April — May
- Height
- 6—12 inches
- Sun
- Partial shade to full sun (4—6 hours; best with afternoon shade)
James Buckwheat
Eriogonum jamesii
- Bloom
- July — September
- Height
- 6—12 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus montanus
- Bloom
- May — June
- Height
- 60—120 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Rabbitbrush
Ericameria nauseosa
- Bloom
- August — October
- Height
- 24—60 inches
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
Three-Leaf Sumac
Rhus trilobata
- Bloom
- April — May
- Height
- 36—72 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Wax Currant
Ribes cereum
- Bloom
- April — June
- Height
- 36—60 inches
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4—6 hours)
Want these in your yard?
We design and plant native xeriscapes across the Denver metro — matched to your soil, sun, and water.