On our hikes, it seems we’re often exclaiming, “What a beautiful plant combination!”. Mother Nature’s inherent beauty and functional placement provide an amazing guide and inspiration for what we can create in our home garden or ecosystem. Mother Nature also helps guide us on how we can best support our pollinators.
In the new Harvest 2020 issue of Colorado Gardener (with a striking mushroom cover photo!), Mikl writes in ‘Blooming Without a Care’ about a selection of wonderful lesser-known dryland native wildflowers that can also be very successful garden plants in our semi-arid climate. Many of these plants can be found at Harlequin’s Gardens, including Blazing Star, Mentzelia decapetala, and Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. Please note that collection of plants or seeds on public land is illegal unless you have been granted a permit by the managing agency.
Euphorbia marginata and Argemone polyanthemos at Heil Ranch
As Mikl notes in his article, it’s very important to site dryland plants in the appropriate location with full sun, low water (after established), with plants of similar cultural needs, and to strive for large groupings of plants to help pollinators maximize their food intake, and gives us the visual impact of massed color! Read more in Mikl’s article!