Learn more about plants found in our Broomfield Demo Garden!
Hens & Chicks
There are many species and cultivars of Sempervivum, commonly called Hens and Chicks or Houseleeks. Because they are a hardy succulent, they have fleshy leaves in a rosette shape that varies in size, shape, color, and texture.
Colors can be various shades of green, pink, and red; and some Sempervivum have cobwebbing on their leaves!
Dwarf lavender plants are varieties of English Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, that grow well in Colorado climates, even those with slightly poor, alkaline soils.
Foliage is gray-green, and flowers range from dark purple to blue-purple to light purple. All varieties have aromatic scents and are well suited as hedges, borders, containers, or en masse for swaths of color.
Blue Grama Grass, Bouteloua gracilis, is the official state grass of Colorado. It’s a native prairie grass important for animal foraging, preventing soil erosion, and providing food for various birds, butterflies and moth caterpillars.
In the home garden, varieties of Bouteloua gracilis may be used as ornamental grasses, in rock garden groupings, or as a low-traffic lawn alternative.
Yarrow, a member of the Aster family, is a colorful, perennial group of plants. The Latin name Achillea is thought to reference Achilles of Troy, an early botanist who used yarrow to treat his wounded soldiers.
Many varieties are available in various shades from white and lilac, to yellow, orange, and red. Best of all, yarrow is virtually pest and disease free and tolerant of drought, salt, and cold.
What’s in a name? Plenty, in the case of the Common Snowberry’s scientific name: Symphoricarpos albus. The Latin “symphori-” means connected or together, and “carpos” means fruit. “Albus” means white.
Long after its small pink flowers have fallen in late summer, the Snowberry also stands out in winter with the contrast of white berries against bare brown stems.
Kintzley’s Ghost® Honeysuckle
A delightful addition to a xeric garden is Kintzley’s Ghost® honeysuckle, a family heirloom plant recently brought back into cultivation. It is a hardy honeysuckle vine with showy silver bracts that last all summer long. Once established it is very low maintenance.
Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany
For gardeners looking for an evergreen shrub to brighten their landscape year-round, consider adding the Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany. This plant is both a Colorado native and a Plant Select® introduction, offering these features:
- Up to 5 feet tall, 3-4 feet wide
- Fragrant, yellow flowers in the spring and feathery seed plumes in the fall
- Requires no additional irrigation once established (about two years)
- Attracts pollinators
A native plant to Colorado and throughout the Southwest, Apache Plume is growing in popularity thanks to its special attributes:
- Up to 4 feet tall
- White, rose-like flowers transform to pink, feathery seed heads
- Very drought tolerant and attracts birds, bees and butterflies
- Blooms June through August
Wine Cups, the featured Xeriscape plant for the month of June, offer a trifecta of benefits to your Xeric garden:
- As a ground cover, they are an attractive alternative to mulch or rocks.
- They are colorful and bloom from late spring to late summer.
- They need only minimal care and water.
Prairie Smoke is the featured Xeriscape plant for the month of May. With its pink nodding flowers and fern-like leaves, Prairie Smoke is a lovely and hardy addition to your xeric or rock garden.
Blooming from late spring to early summer, the flowers become feathery pink seed heads showcasing the plant’s smoky appearance that inspired its common name.
The featured Xeriscape plant for September is the Torch Lily, commonly known as the Red Hot Poker. This herbaceous perennial plant is known for its upright, tubular flower spikes which emerge from clusters of green, grass-like foliage. The Torch Lily blooms from the base and spikes upward displaying beautiful bi-colored red, orange or yellow “torches.”
Moon carrot, in bloom during late summer at Broomfield’s Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, Demonstration Garden, offers an interesting mix of textures and thrives in various conditions. It will grow in full sun to partial shade, is adaptive to clay, loamy or sandy soil, and requires moderate to Xeric watering.