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Landscape with nativesBy Linda Langelo Golden Plains Area Extension, Horticulture Coordinator Natives, how have we lived without them in our landscape? There are 4,000 species to choose from across Colorado in the plains to the alpine region. All these natives bring us more than beauty. Those pretty flowers at the edge of the road that catch our vision can save us up to 60 percent in water usage in a season. Most have either low-maintenance or no maintenance. Native plants also reduce the need for pesticides. These native plants are environmentally adapted within a specific ecosystem. These plants are not cultivated varieties of plants found in the wild from China, Japan, Asia or Europe like many found in the greenhouses, nurseries and floral shops. Natives can be included as plant material in a sustainable landscape. A sustainable landscape by Colorado State University's definition is "an attractive environment that is in balance with the local climate and requires minimal resource inputs, such as fertilizer, pesticides and water," stated by CSU Extension agents Bousselet, Badertscher and Roll. In order to sustain a landscape on the eastern plains of Colorado, we need to consider plants that are native or adaptable to our conditions of semi-arid/arid desert. During a wet year on the eastern plains, we may have as much as 19 inches of rain. Our local native plants are well adapted to an average rainfall which can range from 10 inches to 20 inches in a year. When there is less rain, both the plants and flowers are less prolific. Plants that do not come from our native environment will always require more care. This care can range from moisture to being placed in a protected environment. Any plant from another part of the world may be adaptable from the same zone as zone 5 on the plains. However, plants introduced from another part of the world are more likely to become more invasive since there are no natural controls like insects, diseases or foraging animals that keep its growth in check. Some are more invasive than others. Plants that are already invasive may become even more aggressive when introduced to a new environment. This can encompass natives outside of their natural range. Most people see invasive plants as weeds. A weed is any plant that is out of place within the landscape. Some invasive plants are still popular in the landscape like Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia and Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria. Invasive plants can grow easily in disturbed areas like roadsides and construction sites. Why? Wherever a local ecosystem is disrupted it leaves an opening for invasive plants to take hold. This can be other natives out of their natural range or plants from another continent. Basically, the most invasive plants can crowd out native plants. When this happens, it reduces biodiversity. In Old Town, Burlington, Colo., there is a Native Plant Demonstration Garden which displays several native species of plants that grow in the native range of the eastern plains. There are also a couple of plant species which are well adapted to this range and are still natives of Colorado. Starting in late April and May it will be open for visitors. On April 19 I will be presenting a program on native plants. Everyone is welcome. The Prairie Heritage Arts Association is sponsoring the program. The program begins at 1 p.m., for only an hour. We will have on display some of the native plants that are being raised from seed by the local FFA students from Burlington High School. These plants will go on sale later in May at Williams Florist. The proceeds will go to help support the Native Plant Master Program and FFA to grow more natives next year. This is a new program by CSU to raise awareness of natives, invasive plants and sustainable landscapes. This Native Plant Demonstration Garden is an educational tool to help support the Native Plant Master Program.
Date: 8/8/08
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