Ribes aureum, Currant
We have shrubs and Perennials you can plant NOW!
If your soil is thawed and you can dig a planting hole, now is a great time to plant our hardy, over-wintered shrubs and perennials!
These shrubs have been over-wintered outdoors, not inside greenhouses or shipped from the west coast. So they don’t have leaves yet (unless they are evergreen), which is a really good thing; it means that they will settle into your garden and leaf out when the time is right, preventing freeze-damage to prematurely forced foliage. They have also been grown in our own excellent potting soils, which contain mycorrhizae, organic matter, and nutrients, which will help them adapt quickly to your garden soil. In addition, we have lots of perennials that were over-wintered in an unheated structure. These, too, are ready for planting if you are! Here are profiles of a handful of the shrubs ready now!
Curl Leaf Mountain Mahagony
Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius)
Native to the Southwest and Western foothills, including Colorado, this large, attractive broad-leafed evergreen shrub/small tree (approx.12-20’ x 9-12’) has an upright growth habit and small lance-shaped, dark green, leathery leaves with edges that curl under and pale gray bark White, fuzzy, curled “seed tails” in fall are both attractive and unusual. This slow to moderate geowing, low-water shrub/tree grows beautifully in our quite dry, rocky, gravelly soil that is underlaid by clay. It thrives in full sun in low fertility, well-drained soil. Cold-hardy to USDA Zone 4, it is free of insects and diseases, deer-resistant, and fire-resistant. Why not plant these near the house in place of junipers? Much safer, and more interesting. They also make good wind-breaks. Pruning in their early years to keep them compact makes them stronger and more beautiful.
Western Big Sage (Artemisia tridentata)
now called Seriphidium tridentatum
Big Sage is an iconic native shrub of the interior west, common in semi-arid and alkaline conditions, generally preferring 7”-15” inches of annual rainfall. It is often found in gullies and ravines where water flows part of the year. It grows well here. Big Sage’s silvery leaves are three-toothed (tri dentata), and release a wonderful, refreshing fragrance when rubbed and after rainstorms. Clusters of tiny, wind-pollinated flowers in August may provoke hay fever allergies.
Where soils are deeper with more water, this rugged, woody shrub can reach 6’-12’ tall, but in poorer conditions it may only be 3’ high or less. It has a vigorous root system, both fibrous and tap rooted, to take advantage of water wherever it is available. Because it is so adaptable, unpalatable to browsing animals, and produces copious seeds, it is possibly the most abundant shrub in North America, and it grows very well here. Big Sage can have a wild appearance, which can be very attractive, but heavy snows can break down the branches, making the shrub look disheveled. By training it to a single trunk and removing weak branches with narrow crotches, especially in the primary structure along the main trunk, the shrub doesn’t break easily. Also, shortening branches to keep the shrub more compact reduces breakage. Big Sage is cold-hardy to USDA zone 4.
Gwen’s Buffalo Currant (Ribes aureum ‘Gwen’s)
One of our most popular shrubs, Gwen’s buffalo currant is a selection of our local native Golden Currant that was chosen for it’s delicious, large, blue-black berries, which are a little tart, but sweet enough to eat fresh right off the bush. Kids love them, and so do birds. The berries are very high in antioxidants, and can be used in baking, preserves and syrups. Grown in full sun, it makes an informal, rounded shrub 2’ to 6’ tall by 2’-4’ wide. In early spring the showy yellow clove-scented flowers support many native pollinators. The mid-green wedge-shaped, lobed leaves turn vibrant red, yellow and orange in full. Gwen’s Buffalo Currant is cold-hardy to USDA Zone 2 (to 8,000’) and is adaptable to a wide range of soils, with low to moderate watering.
Apache Plume (Falugia paradoxa)
This is a delightful Colorado native shrub for a dry, full sun or lightly shaded location. A member of the Rose family, Apache Plume blooms through most of the spring and summer, bearing lovely white 1” flowers that look much like small wild roses. As the season progresses, flowers continue to bloom along with the display of luminous rosy pink feathery seeds that shimmer in the sunlight, especially when back-lit. The finely cut light green foliage is very small and held close to the stems year-round. It supports bees, attracts butterflies and birds, and resists deer and rabbits. This is a shrub that really won’t reward you for your kindness; it wants lean, well-drained soil (though mine is happy in heavy clay), and low to very low supplementary water. Too much water will make it sloppy and encourage suckering. Apache Plume is usually 3 to 6’ tall and 3 to 5’ wide, with an airy, irregular, spreading habit. Once established, or if it has grown too tall, Apache Plume will benefit from shearing back a little to green growth in late winter. It’s a good specimen plant, and also looks great in a mass, and can even be sheared to make a hedge. Cold-hardy to USDA zone 3 (8,500’ elevation).
New Mexico Privet, Desert Olive (Forestiera neomexicana)
New Mexico Privet is a distinctive native shrub that should be used more widely. It is found in the wild from Western Colorado south to New Mexico, west to California, and east to Texas. I have seen it growing in ravines and arroyos in Utah. Growing erect, its arching, finely twigged branches create a dense shrub clothed in small, narrow oval bright yellow-green foliage, turning yellow in fall. Copious tiny yellow flowers in early spring become small, dark blue oblong drupes (berry-like fruits) on female plants in late summer against silky-smooth blonde bark. Like common Privet (Ligustrum) this member of the olive family can be pruned for a hedge or used as a distinctive small multi-stemmed tree whose fruit is enjoyed by the birds. New Mexico Privet prefers well-draining soils, but tolerates clay soils. It thrives in full sun, with low water, and reaches 9 to 12’ tall, with a 6 to 9’ spread, and is cold-hardy to 8,500’ or USDA zone 4.