We thank the ALCC and Plant Select for these great landscaping ideas!
There are three good reasons to grab a shovel and plant THIS weekend:
- The weather will be stellar.
- The Plant Select plants described below will give great end-of-season outdoor interest for the rest of this growing season.
- By planting them in the late summer/early fall timeframe, these perennials will get their roots established this year so they will be show-off plants next spring!
Do you garden at a really high altitude? Then note that three of the plants below are hardy to 8,000 ft. and one of them is even good to 9,000 ft.
Silver sage (Salvia argentea)
Has candelabras of white flowers in summer
Grows 2-3 ft. tall, 1-2 ft. wide
Is noted for gorgeous, large-fuzzy leaves that add texture
Grows well in full sun in average-dry conditions and is hardy up to 8,000 ft.
Furman’s Red sage (Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’)
Has continuous red blooms from mid-late summer
Grows 18-24 inches tall x 12-24 inches wide
Grows in moderate to dry gardens in full sun and is a great plant to attract hummingbirds
Hardy to 5,500 ft., but needs protection in colder climates
Vermillion Bluffs® Mexican sage (Salvia darcyi ‘Pscarl’)
Its tall spikes of large red blooms are a hummingbird magnet
Grows 35-40 inches tall x 20-30 inches wide
Needs full sun, loamy soils and moderate water
Best in lower elevations as it is hardy only to 5,500 ft.
Orange Carpet® hummingbird trumpet (Zauschneria garrettii)
Rocky Mountain native plant that blooms late summer
Blooms are brilliant orange trumpet-shaped flowers
Grows 3-6 inches tall x 15-20 inches wide
Thrives in full sun and moderate to dry soils and is hardy up to 9,000 ft.
Partridge feather (Tanacetum densum ssp. amani)
This fluffy, feathery silver foliage plant is best as a groundcover
Has small button-like flowers in mid-summer
User friendly plant tolerates dry shade and also grows in full sun
Grows 3-5 inches tall x 15-24 inches wide and is hardy to 8,000 ft.