Top Plant Picks: CSU Research
Try these underutilized woody plants
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ach year researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) evaluate over 1,300 taxa of woody plants for adaptability, flowers, fruit, pest problems and more. Students help maintain the test sites with support from Colorado Horticulture Research and Education Foundation (CHREF), J. Frank Schmidt Charitable Trust, Bailey Nursery
Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Obelisk’ Standing Ovation™ Serviceberry
Cornus mas – Cornelian Cherry Dogwood This plant can be grown as a shrub or small tree to about 15 feet tall. It is pH adaptable and prefers a well-drained soil. Yellow flowers in March are a first-of-spring. Foliage is attractive and has prominent veination.
Photos courtesy Colorado State University
This very cold hardy plant has multiple seasons of landscape interest. White flowers in spring turn to edible berries in June, and dark green leaves turn red to orange in fall. This serviceberry has a uniform upright/oval growth habit and is a selection of our native Colorado serviceberry.
Inc., Colorado Agriculture Experiment Station and numerous local and national nurseries. Visit these woody plants in person in Fort Collins and/or view and learn more online at www.woodyplants.colostate.edu. Here are eight woody plants worth considering for Colorado landscapes.|CG
Tips & Tricks: Can be used to make an informal hedge/ screen or use it to add height in small gardens.
Zone 2
Tips & Tricks: The red fruit in August is sparsely produced due to early flowering which may be affected by spring frosts.
Zone 4 May/June 2019 Colorado Green
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