Beautiful Colorado

Posted on by crazygreenthumbs

My mom has a giant perennial delphinium. It’s just gorgeous!

Today I thought I’d feature some of the wild plants in the Colorado mountains and some flowers my mom bought for her window boxes. There’s so many beautiful things out here, you have to pick a subject matter!

Seed pods.
We always called these butter and eggs. They are invasive non-natives also known as toad flax.
Reeds.
Immature cat tails. I brought a single cat tail up here 30 years ago and they almost encircle the pond now!
Black cat tail. These are mature.
Photo of the clouds from the pond.
Sage about to bloom. Nooooo! My allergies!
In case you didn’t know this about cat tails: they explode with fluffy seeds that blow in the wind.
One sided penstemon(aka beardtongue.)
Shocking red. (Scarlet Gilia.)
Wild aster.
Thistle and a couple of beetles.
Indian paint brush.
A type of sedum. Aka lance leaf stone crop.
These are called buttercups in Texas, but ours are pink.
White peony. If you want to grow peonies they love high altitudes, but require supplemental watering here.
Monarda.
Common Mullein.
Pink potentilla.
Daisies.
Window box flowers.
Sun through the trees.
Yellow potentilla. These do really well in Colorado.
Blue spruce loaded with seed cones.

Everything is blooming. Unfortunately, the sage is about to bloom and my mom and I are both allergic! That and the clover. Both of those have gnarly pollen!

Meet you outside to enjoy the wildflowers!

Crazy Green Thumbs

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5 thoughts on “Beautiful Colorado”

  2. Indian paintbrush is cool. I have been wanting to grow it for a long time, and actually got some seed for next year. However, it is supposedly difficult to get started in a garden where it did not grow naturally. At least one species is native near here, but I have never seen it. It has always been elusive.
    Penstemon is rad also. I tried bringing bits of wild penstemon back from the Siskiyous, but they rotted.
    Cat tail was my favorite of the candidates for the Official Town Flower of Los Gatos (the Cats). Not only is the name appropriate, but it happens to be native, and was formerly common in the wetlands where Los Gatos Creek comes into the Santa Clara Valley from the Santa Cruz Mountains.

    Reply

    1. I tried to bring wildflowers and seed home thirty years ago when my parents bought this place. I failed every single time. These seeds love the cragy soiless cold weather up here and are finicky sprouters. I know Texas throws wildflower seeds like Indian paintbrush on the median. Maybe TAMU has a wildflower packet they sell to the public? I haven’t researched that. Good to see you today!

      Reply

      1. Their wildflower mixes may include many species from all over the region, with the expectation that people will put them out there, and what ‘can’ grow will. Their ecosystems are likely very diverse. So, even if mountain wildflowers do not grow, those from Eastern Colorado might. Of course, it would not be what you see in the mountains.

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