21 Native Wildflowers for Colorado Gardens
Colorado’s famed wildflowers enliven the landscape in a flash of welcomed color. With showy blooms and textures that offer multi-season appeal, they withstand cold winters and offer numerous ecosystem benefits. Fall is the time to sow many of the native favorites. Join gardening expert Katherine Rowe in exploring the Centennial State’s native bloomers.
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The first pasque flower, lupine, columbine, the first – anything – popping up after winter is a sight worth celebrating. Almost overnight, wildflowers emerge to welcome the warm season, and Colorado boasts some of the most gorgeous wildflowers you’ll ever see.
We know the goodness native wildflowers bring to the garden: vibrant blooms, multi-season appeal, and essential food and shelter sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. In contrast to their domesticated counterparts, natives adapt to localized conditions and don’t require intensive management or resources.
Wildflower arrangements make effortless compositions that buzz and sway in the landscape. Here, we’ll celebrate native Colorado wildflowers that enliven the landscape for successional seasons of blooms.
Columbine
Rocky Mountain Blue Columbine Seeds
Coreopsis
Plains Coreopsis Tinctoria Seeds
Penstemon
Rocky Mountain Blue Penstemon Seeds
Rocky Mountain Blue Columbine
botanical name Aquilegia coerulea | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 1-2′ | |
hardiness zones 3-10 |
We must begin with a hallmark Colorado native and state flower, Rocky Mountain blue columbine. The graceful origami-like blooms spring to life after long winters. Attractive compound leaves emerge quickly as temperatures warm, followed by the nodding flowers. Hummingbirds and others appreciate the nectar from the tubular blooms, and birds also feed on the seeds in the fall.
Aquilegia coerulea, the famous Rocky Mountain blue columbine, brings heirloom violet and white looms with yellow stamens. Aquilegia formosa, western red columbine, has red sepals and spurs with yellow blades.
With a natural habitat along woodland edges, clearings, and riverbanks, columbine grows best in moderately moist, well-drained soils (not too wet or dry). Protect it from hot afternoon sun in warm months. Columbine is semi-evergreen and will retain its basal leaves unless temperatures are too cold or too hot, where it enters dormancy until temps level off.
Rudbeckia
botanical name Rudbeckia hirta | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 2-4’ | |
hardiness zones 3-8 |
Black-eyed Susan, with its abundant golden daisy-ray flowers with chocolate button centers, produces a wave of easy color from summer through fall. Their seedheads bring lasting seasonal interest post-bloom and provide food for songbirds through winter.
R. hirta occurs naturally in plains, meadows, and prairies. They thrive in various conditions, including heat, humidity, and drought.
Rudbeckias are excellent options for gardens of any scale, whether in mass plantings or as border specimens. The natives naturalize throughout most of the U.S. and southeastern Canada, while numerous cultivars like ‘Prairie Sun,’ ‘Indian Summer,’ and ‘Cherry Brandy’ offer colorful blooms that make lasting cut flowers, too.
Mountain Bluebell
botanical name Mertensia ciliata | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 1-4’ | |
hardiness zones 3-7 |
Bluebells give the sweetest splash of blue-violet to the garden. Bell-shaped flowers suspend gracefully from leafy, arching stems above dense crowns in spring and summer.
Mertensia ciliata, or mountain bluebell, tolerates periods of drought and temperature extremes. The tallest of the bluebells, M. ciliata forms pink buds that open to rich purple-blue and turn pink as flowers age. The leaves and flowers are also edible—exquisite in a summer salad!
M. alpina, or Alpine bluebell, originates in the Rocky Mountains. It grows on stony slopes in alpine regions from Montana to New Mexico. Its summertime flowers are shades of pale to deep blue in loose clusters above downy leaves.
Bluebell seeds benefit from scarification to germinate. Rub seeds with a medium-grit sandpaper before sowing. Bluebells grow best in moist conditions, with a natural habitat of stream banks, wet meadows, and moist woodlands, but need good air circulation to prevent mildew diseases.
Indian Paintbrush
botanical name Castilleja coccinea | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 9-24” | |
hardiness zones 4-8 |
Most often found in prairies, sagebrush thickets, and open woodlands, Indian paintbrush has a showy scarlet bloom from April through July. The divided bracts create a bright, brushy look to stem ends. The red-tinged petals also attract hummingbirds for pollination.
The adaptable biennial produces flowers and seeds in its second year. It reseeds naturally in optimal conditions and needs cold stratification to germinate. Interestingly, the bloomers are hemiparasitic, absorbing nutrients from the roots of other plants like sage and perennial grasses.
While this plant isn’t technically native to Colorado, it is a native North American plant that will thrive in the state.
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant
botanical name Cleome serrulata | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 2-5’ | |
hardiness zones 2-10 |
This wild cleome delights with pink spider flower clusters from July through August. An annual, it blooms and produces seeds in a single growing cycle for emergence the following spring.
Lewis and Clark collected Rocky Mountain beeplant in 1804 on their westward explorations, though it had ethnobotanical uses long before with edible qualities. Today, it’s grown in home gardens as an ornamental that attracts native bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.
Rocky Mountain bee makes a good companion to penstemon, preferring sandy, well-draining loams in lower elevations and open areas, including disturbed areas and roadsides. They readily reseed in optimal growing conditions, but you don’t have to worry about them taking over.
Plains Coreopsis
botanical name Coreopsis tinctoria | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 2-4‘ | |
hardiness zones 2-11 |
Coreopsis brings masses of sunny blooms to the wildflower arrangement. It reseeds readily for successional seasons of color and is often one of the first to spring up and last to fade.
Plains coreopsis features variations in color, with showy yellow daisy-like petals with deep red highlights and brown button central discs. Though considered an annual, a single plant may flower for two to three years.
Coreopsis is a favorite nectar and pollen source for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Songbirds also forage on the seeds in fall and winter. While it grows and flowers best with regular moisture in well-draining soils, the durable growers tolerate dry conditions and varying soil types.
Larkspur
botanical name Delphinium nuttallianum | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 1-3’ | |
hardiness zones 4-8 |
Larkspur is elegant, with large, deep blue bell blooms on tall stems. It’s superb in the garden, if a little finicky. The glorious bloom spikes make it well worth a try. Sixty species are native to the United States, with nearly a dozen in Colorado.
Delphinium nuttallianum, named for Harvard professor and 19th-century botanist Thomas Nuttall, has dark violet-blue bloom spikes from spring to early summer at elevations between 1,000 to 10,500 feet.
Subalpine larkspur, D. barbeyi, forms dense colonies that bloom from June through August. The towering spikes from woody stock reach five to six feet tall for a spray of deep blue.
Delphinium carolinianum, or blue larkspur, has a wide range from the edge of the American West to the Southeast. Light blue blooms rise on one-to-three-foot stems above blue-green, lobed leaves, creating waves of blue in open meadows in early spring through summer.
Delphinium needs moist and very well-drained soils for the best health. However, they’re susceptible to powdery mildew and crown rot if conditions are too damp, and growing in full sunlight helps stave these off.
Pasque Flower
botanical name Pulsatilla nuttalliana | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 4-12” | |
hardiness zones 3-5 |
One of the first to bloom in spring, pasque flower pops up through the melting snow. Native to alpine, subalpine, and foothills plant communities, the crocus-like flower appears from April through July.
Pale purple-blue cups with yellow centers rise on short stems above silvery green leaves. The early-season blooms attract native bees. After flowering, seeds open in fuzzy, silky plumes that drift in the wind.
Among about 30 species in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), the American pasque flower is less common than the European species P. vulgaris in deep purple, white, and crimson varieties.
Fireweed
botanical name Chamerion angustifolium | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 3-5’ | |
hardiness zones 2-8 |
Fireweed creates blazes of pink blooms across the landscape. One of the first species to colonize disturbed areas in cool climates, fireweed grows in open fields in masses. Deep pink blooms cover upright stems with willowy leaves.
Firewood blossoms are nectar-rich and a valuable food source for pollinators. They produce an abundance of fluffy seeds and spread by rhizomes, so weed out volunteers and deadhead to control the spread if space is an issue.
Chamerion angustifolium blooms from June to September with dense spikes of rose-pink flowers. They’re incredibly cold-hardy, easy to grow, and leaves and flowers are edible. Pair them with bluebells as a pretty garnish.
Gaillardia
botanical name Gaillardia spp. | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 1-2’ | |
hardiness zones 3-10 |
Gaillardia, or blanketflower, casts a sunny glow in the garden with its ray flowers in gold, orange, red, or bi-color with brown central discs. This Colorado wildflower has a long bloom season from early summer through frost. It also self-seeds, and is drought and heat-tolerant.
Gaillardia aristata boasts yellow, red, and purple tones and is a butterfly favorite. G. pulchella originates in the Southwest with warm tones of red and gold to match the landscape. The annual reaches two feet tall and thrives in most areas of the country as long as soils are well-drained.
Gaillardia is a carefree performer and grows in poor, sandy soils. Its seeds need no special treatment before sowing. To prolong bloom time, supplement with additional water during dry periods. Early to flower and late to fade, blanketflower’s whirling blooms bring cheer and vibrance to the arrangement.
Blue-Eyed Grass
botanical name Sisyrinchium montanum | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 6-24’ | |
hardiness zones 4-9 |
Blue-eyed grass, a member of the Iris family, is not really grass, but a blooming annual or perennial, depending on the species. Its upright blades lend a grassy texture, giving a nice foliar contrast to other leaf types. Blue star-shaped blooms provide a soft look to the plant’s stiff habit.
Sisyrinchium species are numerous and native to North and South America. Sisyrinchium montanum, strict blue-eyed grass, is a good winter hardy species naturally found in midwestern prairies and widespread across the U.S. It has slightly broader leaves than other species and one-inch violet blooms.
S. idahoense is a western species with narrow, dark green leaves. Purple-blue flowers appear in summer.
S. pallidum, pale blue-eyed grass, is endemic to central Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. Its population is vulnerable based on small numbers and habitat threats.
Scarlet Gilia
botanical name Ipomopsis aggregata | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 1-3’ | |
hardiness zones 6-9 |
These late-summer, high-elevation bloomers are a sweet source of nectar and a show of color. Scarlet gilia produces deep red tubular blooms on tall spikes. Hummingbirds and hawk moths enjoy the food source, which lasts through frost.
I. globularis is native to Colorado, with white or lavender bloom clusters in July and August. Each blossom is cupped and sweetly fragrant. Leaves are ferny and serrated.
Gilia’s natural habitat is sandy and rocky, and it grows best in well-drained soils. It self-seeds readily and establishes easily from seed.
Dotted Blazing Star
botanical name Liatris punctata | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 1-5’ | |
hardiness zones 3-9 |
Blazing star, or gayfeather, represents a genus with about forty species and numerous cultivars. Dense flowers line upright stalks and open in purples, pinks, and whites from the top down. Arching, fine-bladed foliage forms clumps beneath the leafy stems. Flowers are strong, bold, and showy, attracting pollinators and also serving as host plants for butterflies and moths.
Liatris punctata, dotted gayfeather, offers long-lasting purple color in late summer and into fall. The foot-tall spikes produce seeds for lasting interest into winter. Once established, blazing star is quite drought-tolerant.
Lupine
botanical name Lupinus sericeus | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 1-2’ | |
hardiness zones 3-8 |
Lupine enchants the spring and summer landscape with lovely bell-shaped blooms in blues, purples, pinks, whites, yellows, and bicolors. The graceful ornamental flowers are rugged performers, withstanding various wild conditions – from dry to moist, hot to cold, and lean soils. These wild beauties are legumes that fix nitrogen in the soil and improve surrounding nutrition.
Silky lupine, Lupinus sericeus, grows across a range of elevations and habitats, including grasslands, sagebrush meadows, forests, and steep slopes. Flowers are rich purple – a sweet pea bloom with attractive gray-green palmate leaves.
Meadow lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) is one of the showiest species, with dense violet bloom spikes atop a cushion of pretty blue-green leaves. It’s a vigorous grower at three to five feet tall and plays a vital role in ecosystem management regarding erosion control, soil improvement, and pollinator food sources.
Wild Bergamot
botanical name Monarda fistulosa | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 2-4’ | |
hardiness zones 3-9 |
Wild bergamot, or bee balm, is a favorite wildflower due to its color, length of flowering, and draw of hummingbirds. Two-inch pinky-lilac blooms with flared petals cluster on stems above minty foliage.
Monarda needs good air circulation and does best in organic soils with consistent moisture, though wild bee balm tolerates dry sites, too. Cut back spent blooms to prolong flowering, which lasts from early summer through frost. Monarda spreads by seed and rhizome, so divide plants and weed out volunteers to keep it in bounds if it’s performing too well in the wildflower garden.
Rocky Mountain Blue Penstemon
botanical name Penstemon strictus | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 2-3’ | |
hardiness zones 4-9 |
Penstemon is bold with tall spikes loaded with bells. Many species of penstemon, or beardtongue, are native to the U.S. and are widely cultivated because of their brilliant blooms and dark green foliage. It also makes a beautiful cut flower but leave plenty for the pollinators, including native bees – they love the sweet nectar.
Rocky Mountain blue (Penstemon strictus) is a long-lived, reliable heirloom perennial with striking violet-blue bloom spikes in early summer. The adaptable grower tolerates varying soil conditions.
Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) features showy scarlet bell-shaped blooms on tall spikes in spring through summer. Firecracker is also drought-tolerant and hardy, preferring gravelly sites and lean soils. It benefits from afternoon sun protection in hot, dry areas.
Penstemon prefers dry, light, well-drained soils. Seeds benefit from cold stratification, so sow in fall or early spring to allow exposure to cold temperatures and moisture.
Prairie Coneflower
botanical name Ratibida columnifera | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 1-3’ | |
hardiness zones 4-9 |
Prairie coneflower is a bright, long-blooming, easy-care specimen that offers nectar for pollinators and seeds for birds and small mammals in the fall and winter. With tall flowers in bold yellows and deep reds, this coneflower lasts from spring until frost.
Ratibida columnifera (upright prairie coneflower or Mexican Hat) holds the hallmark coloration in red, yellow, or dark purple-red ray petals with bright gold edges. Petals droop below a central gold-brown disc on tall stems.
Prairie coneflower is fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and withstands competition from other plants. However, it can be aggressive in optimal growing conditions and may overtake weaker growers.
Wood’s Rose
botanical name Rosa woodsii | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 3-6’ | |
hardiness zones 2-8 |
Wild roses dot the landscape throughout the state, forming dense thickets. Wood’s rose, native to the Western U.S. and Canada, is hardy and adaptable and thrives in high elevations. The species rose withstands cold winters and hot, arid summers.
The fragrant bloomer produces clusters of raspberry roses in spring and summer. Flowers are single and open-petaled in small clusters. They draw pollinators who easily access their open centers.
After flowering, the shrubs produce vibrant orange-red hips that persist into winter. Highly ornamental, they also offer forage for birds and wildlife in the cool season.
Blue Flax
botanical name Linum lewisii | |
sun requirements Full sun to partial shade | |
height 1-3’ | |
hardiness zones 3-9 |
Blue flax grows at low and high elevations (from plains to subalpine) with cheerful blue flowers in summer. The flowers open in the morning and close or drop in the bright afternoon sun. Native bees and honeybees pollinate each five-petaled blossom.
L. lewisii is named for explorer Meriwether Lewis who collected plants on his westward journey. The low-maintenance perennials thrive in dry, disturbed sites and work well on slopes and as erosion control.
Achillea
botanical name Achillea millefolium | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 1-3’ | |
hardiness zones 3-9 |
Yarrow is a favorite with feathery foliage and full color. Its large, flat flowerheads bring extended seasonal interest. A. millefolium features sunny yellow bloom clusters on tall stems.
Yarrow is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant perennial. It doesn’t need much more than a sunny spot with well-draining soil to flourish.
Mariposa Lily
botanical name Calochortus gunnisonii | |
sun requirements Full sun | |
height 12-20” | |
hardiness zones 3-7 |
Gunnison’s mariposa is native to the Rocky Mountains with a spread throughout the West in high elevations meadows, woodlands, and sagebrush prairies. The lily has creamy white or purple petals surrounding a bright green center.
The spring-flowering bulbous perennial appears in sunny montane zones with exotic-looking splendor. It can be challenging to tame this beauty; while resilient in the wild, propagation from seed requires long cold stratification and optimal conditions to germinate and thrive. Enjoy their stunning display on late spring hikes.