By Kathy Roth, CSU Extension-Denver Master Gardener since 2018
Service Leadplant – Photo credit: US Fish & Wildlife
April is Earth Month and Spring is in the air – what better way to celebrate than by adding low maintenance native shrubs to our yards? Native shrubs are an excellent choice because they originated in our state and will thrive in the amount of rainfall nature gives them.
They don’t want to be fertilized as they receive the nutrition they require from our native soil and can get overgrown, spindly or live shorter lives if planted in amended soil. Native shrubs are also more resistant to pests and diseases and more easily withstand our unusual weather extremes such as long cold spells, drying winds, and variable temperature fluctuations.
When designing a native landscape, consider the site’s moisture, light, elevation and soil conditions as well as the selected shrubs’ bloom time and mature height. When possible, strive for season-long color to prolong enjoyment of your garden. Grouping plants by their water requirements is key when deciding where to place your native shrubs. All newly planted shrubs, even natives, need supplemental water to get established. But once established, these shrubs are the environmentally friendly choice, particularly in areas that are difficult to irrigate such as next to parkways and hardscape (patios, sidewalks, fences).
A myriad of online garden resources are available on the Colorado Extension website. Fact Sheet #7.422 “Native Shrubs for Colorado Landscapes” lists shrubs by mature height, moisture requirements, brief description and whether they are evergreen or deciduous.
Here a few favorites that I’ve grown successfully.
Large Shrubs (mature height over 6’)
Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany: Cerococarpus ledifolius. Thick dark evergreen leaves with tiny feathery seed head.
Serviceberry: Amelanchier alnifolia. Arching branches with showy fragrant white flowers in Spring followed by blueberry type edible berries. Fall color is yellow to soft red.
American Plum/Wild Plum: Prunus americana. White flowers followed by leaves. Small dark purple plums great for jams and wildlife. Yellow to red Fall color. Can form thickets.
Hop Tree/Wafer Ash: Ptelea trifoliata. Caterpillars of swallowtail butterflies attracted to and feed on this. Drought and shade tolerant.
Western Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana melanocarpa. Shiny dark green leaves with creamy white flowers that yield dark purple sour berries. Gives reddish-orange to yellow Fall color.
Western Chokecherry – Photo credit: USDA
Medium Shrubs (mature height 4-6”)
Utah Serviceberry: Amelanchier utahensis. Fragrant white flowers in Spring followed by edible blue berries. Yellow Fall foliage.
Three-leaf Sumac: Rhus trilobata. Arching branches of small yellow flowers followed by compound 3-lobed green leaves. Orange to red Fall color.
Golden Currant: Ribes aureus. Erect branches that form clumps. Yellow Spring flowers. Resulting yellow to black fruit attracts wildlife. Orange to red Fall color.
Leadplant/False Indigo: Amorpha fruticose. Spikes of deep blue showy flowers. Drought and shade tolerant, deer resistant! Forms nodules on roots to fix nitrogen so is often used in prairie restoration.
Apache Plume: Fallugia paradoxa. White, rose-like flowers; fuzzy pinkish seed heads appear that linger all summer. Xeric.
Apache plume – Photo credit: Plant Select
Small Shrubs (less than 4’ at mature height)
Silver Sagebrush; Artemisia cana. Mounding gnarled aromatic silver leaves.
Kinnikinnik: Arctostaphylos ova-usi. Mat-forming evergreen with pink flowers followed by red fruits. Grows well in light shade, such as under large pines.
Creeping Oregon Grape-Holly: Mahonia repens. Ground cover, blue green leaves turn purplish in winter. Shade tolerant but needs protection from wind.
Waxflower: Jamesia americana Upright branches with heart-shaped leaves. Red Fall color.
Waxflower – Photo credit: Plant Select
Additional Resources
The Colorado Native Plant Society offers readers a list of local businesses where native shrubs can be purchased.
The Colorado State Forestry Service offers bulk purchase of native shrubs for large property owners. By bulk, I mean bundles of bare root shrubs or sold in 60 cubic inch tubes per species. Inventory is now limited as ordering began last November, but some great choices are still available. The CSFS Nursery relies on cooperating agencies to promote and sell most of its seedlings to landowners in their respective regions. Seedling cooperators include CSU Extension, conservation districts and CSFS field offices
NEXT MONTH’S WILD ABOUT NATIVES: Native Pollinator Plants
Denver Gardeners 
Kathy, do you have dogs? Prunus Americana would work perfectly in the native habitat I’m establishing in my backyard EXCEPT I have three dogs and I hear plum pits are toxic to dogs. If you have dogs, do you fence the area? Do they just ignore the fruit? Thanks.
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My yellow lab was never tempted to eat our plums; my understanding is they can be poisonous if dogs eat enough pits so I’d choose another shrub. -Kathy
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