This is without question one of my favorite plants for Colorado landscapes.   Native to eastern Asia, Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is hearty, easy to grow, has beautiful fine textured foliage and late season feathery seed heads that are magical in evening sunlight.  In fact, I suggest making a point of locating them where you can enjoy sunlight coming through them.  There are roughly ten cultivars that are sold in Colorado nurseries including Stricta that has a narrow growth habit, Variegata with white margins, and Zebrina with horizontal yellow and green stripes across the leaves.  Maiden Grass prefers full to partial sun, moderate water and well drained soil.  Most cultivars grow 4-6’ high but there are some dwarf and giant versions.  Mix Maiden Grass with large hearty perennials such as Black-eyed Susan, Shasta Daisy, or Coneflower for a big sweeping border.  They make a great accent plant and are suitable for almost any garden style whether it be a native-looking Colorado garden, an English flower border, or a contemporary garden.  It’s hard not to love this plant.

If you are looking for an easy to grow, low-maintenance perennial that provides long-lasting  lavender blue  mounds of flowers in your Colorado perennial garden, ‘Walker’s Low’ Catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’) is a great candidate.  Mix ‘Walker’s Low’ with salvia, roses, and California or Oriental Poppies for a European country garden look or let it spread over a natural meadow or hillside.  ‘Walker’s Low’ grows about 2-3’ wide by 18-24” high, likes full sun, and doesn’t require much water.  It’s great choice for xeriscape gardens.  Shear it back after the first bloom for another strong bloom later in the season.  All Catmints are fairly aggressive so give them some room to grow or plant them with plants that can compete.  If you’re a cat owner, select a different variety as this one is not as appealing to cats and would be denying them one of the great pleasures in life.

February. It’s that time of year here in Colorado when our landscapes are looking a little drab. Most everything, with the exception of evergreens, have browned out and dropped their leaves. Even some of the plants with nice seed heads and stalks have started to look a bit shabby from the heavy snows. One plant to rely on for a bit of winter color is Redtwig Dogwood (Cornus sericea). As the name suggests, this deciduous shrub has brilliant red twigs that grow in a nice vertical clump. Mix these with several different colors of evergreens, some ornamental grasses that hold their seed stalks and a few nice boulders and you’ve got a nice winter garden. There are several varieties of Redtwig Dogwood that range in height from 4 to 10 feet high. Also available are Yellowtwig Dogwood, a dwarf version of the Redtwig called Kelsey Dwarf Dogwood (Cornus sericea ‘Kelseyi’) which grows 2-3 feet high, and a variegated leaf Dogwood.  Very hearty in Colorado, Dogwood prefer moist locations and do well along stream banks and low-lying areas.

Last summer I designed a unique garden in Boulder that called for primarily silver, blue and deep red foliage mixed with white flowers. The garden turned out to be striking in both full sun and shade conditions. Husker Red Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’) fit the bill perfectly.  The attractive foliage starts out green and turns to deep red or burgundy. And the more sun you give them the redder they get. The small white flowers, which sometimes turn a slight lavender color,  float delicately on vertical red stalks. Like most Penstemons, Husker Red prefers full sun and moderate moisture but are adaptable to a variety of conditions. They grow 2-3′ high and spread 18-24″. I will definitely be using Husker Red Penstemon in future foliage gardens and borders.