See what we did there? Plan ahead, plant ahead!

Fall is a great time to get started on next summer’s garden and landscape. The days are cooler, but still warm enough to allow roots to become established ahead of winter. 

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Or maybe you’re thinking that next spring you should plant something in that one spot in your landscape to give it an extra shout of summer color and winter interest. 

In either case, start your landscape shopping list with Plant Select, a nonprofit collaboration of Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and professional horticulturists dedicated to promoting water-wise plants that thrive in the high plains and Rocky Mountain region. 

Plant Select’s website has information about water-wise plants, where to buy them, picking the right plant for the right place and free landscape designs. 

Go to denverwater.org/Conserve to find water-saving tips and rebate information to help you get started.

As Denver becomes warmer and drier in the future, having a water-wise ColoradoScape — an interesting, sustainable landscape that fits naturally into our climate — will be an important part of our vibrant communities.

Meet this month’s plant of the month pick: 

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Formal name: Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis).

Plant profile: This tough beauty, with its rosy-purple flowers, tolerates heat, humidity, drought and isn’t fussy about the soil it sinks its roots into. Flower stalks rise 18-36 inches in height and send out tufts of blooms through the summer and fall.

Wildlife friends: It is a pollinator that attracts hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and birds, while deer will leave it alone. Monarch butterflies come for the flowers’ nectar while goldfinches love the seeds.

Visit plantselect.org to learn about the right plant for the right place in your landscape.

Hardiness: Perennial. Can survive winter temperatures down to minus 30.

Why we love it: Drought-tolerant. Loves a sunny or partly sunny location. Needs little to no extra water once established. Plus, wildlife!

Find it: At your local garden center, look for the Plant Select logo to find this and other water-wise plants that fit naturally into Colorado’s climate.

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