Top Plant Picks: CSU Research
Tough and proven perennials for Colorado
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he following perennials are tough and reliable options for Colorado as demonstrated by their excellent performance in the perennial research/demonstration garden north of the University Center for the Arts on the Colorado State University (CSU) campus. Each of these perennials has been in the garden for several years and, year after year, each has shown adaptability to the area. |CG
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Sea Heart’ (Sea Heart Brunnera)
Baptisia ‘Lemon Meringue’ (Lemon Meringue False Indigo)
Dianthus ‘Kahori Scarlet’ (Kahori Scarlet Dianthus)
Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris)
Tips & Tricks: While this plant requires partial shade, it can handle full sun for short periods of time.
Tips & Tricks: Contrast this plant with a dark-colored bloom in the garden to showcase the yellow blossoms. Be sure to allow spacing for mature size.
Tips & Tricks: This plant requires winter watering during months with low precipitation. Dead-head to encourage secondary blooms.
Tips & Tricks: Blooms attract butterflies. Divide plants in summer after blooming.
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This unique shade perennial boasts early showy spring flowers that open blue, then turn to a lavender pink color. Sea Heart makes an excellent shade groundcover reaching up to 12 inches in height with a 12-18 inch spread. Once established it requires little water.
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Lemon Meringue has a bluegreen compound leaf and an attractive, lemony yellow bloom. Having overwintered in the CSU demonstration garden since 2014, it has shown to be a long-lived perennial in Northern Colorado. Its height and spread can reach up to 36 inches.
A full-sun perennial displaying a mat of scarlet pink color in spring, the plant forms a mound with attractive green grass-like foliage. It grows to a height up to 12 inches with a spread of 12-18 inches.
Siberian Iris has a deep purple bloom with tall, narrow, grass-like foliage. It can handle a variety of soil types and conditions and reaches up to 48 inches in height with a spread of 36 inches. This hardy selection has been in the demonstration garden since 1982 and survived relocation in 2016.
