An Expert's Favorite Native Rocky Mountain Plants
“The outdoor environment around Telluride is why we all live here,” says landscaping expert Beth Bailis, of Caribou Design Associates. Here, she shares some of her favorite native Rocky Mountain plants:
PERENNIALS:
Anemone multifida
(Common name: Windflower)
This shade lover has multiple showy flowers in a cream to soft red color on a base of dark green leaves. One of the first to appear in the mountain garden, it will grow 15-18 inches tall and is hardy to 10,000 feet.
Campanula rotundifolia
(Common name: Harebell)
Typically seen in the sun-speckled shade of an aspen grove, it has delicate blue bell-shaped flowers and grows in clusters. Hardy to 10,000 feet with low water requirements.
SHRUBS:
Rubus deliciosus
(Common name: Boulder raspberry)
This genus of raspberry has no thorns and less favorable berries for eating, but it does have the most gorgeous large, single white blooms. Adaptable to sun or shade, it requires little water and is hardy to 9,000 feet.
Symphoricarpus albus
(Common name: Snowberry)
White berries appear in fall and will hang on through winter—unless the birds enjoy them first. Hardy to 9,000 feet, the shrub has blue-green leaves, needs little water, and enjoys sun to filtered shade while attaining a height of 3-5 feet.
