Southwestern Colorado Landscaping Ideas

Native Plants of the Southwest

• The Southwest is perhaps best known for its colorful plants growing against the muted colors of the desert. Interestingly enough, desert plants have bright flowers, intense designs and intriguing growing patterns. Test your climate by seeing if you are in an area that is mostly arid and hot in temperature. Desert plants have adapted to these conditions and do best in climates that reflect closely on their original climate. Try planting Arizona poppies that do best in flat, grassland areas from sea level to 6,000 feet above sea level. The Western wallflower is a flower that grows well at very low elevation and in shrubland. The Datil yucca is a yucca plant that produces fruit and can grow from around 4,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. The Ponderosa pine is perhaps the most common of trees found in the Southwest, and can thrive on only 20 inches of precipitation. All of these plants can survive on the plains of Colorado.

Colorado Landscaping Materials

• Colorado has versatile environments, from the rocky mountains and plains, to the sand dunes. Around Colorado's southwest corner, the surroundings become desert-like, surrounded by sand and plateau mountains. This can provide a look into what landscaping materials we might use to create a Southwestern landscape. You may start with laying down flagstone, a reddish, flat walkway stone, to define a walking path or garden border. White quartz rock or sand to cover the garden bed can give the garden contrast, and the plants can adapt easily to the dryer garden bed. Gravel can also be used to fill spots that are open, with no real purpose. This is an appropriate way to use less water on your water-wise Southwestern plants.

Hardscaping Elements

• Hardscape your garden by adding elements of Southwestern history. Choose an old wagon to lay on the side of your garden, filled with soil and native flowers. Build a bench easily by using cement benches that are then covered with stucco to create a western feel. Even use a statue to give life and an overall theme to the landscape.