Why Create a Colorado-friendly Garden?

Most gardeners want a garden that looks attractive.  But your ‘perfect garden’ – the one you see in your dreams – probably looks very different from mine.  What’s important to one gardener may not be so for the next.  That’s why every garden is a unique creation.

A successful garden should fit your needs, desires, aesthetics, house style and neighborhood.  But it should also thrive, given your climate, soil characteristics and other factors.  And that requires planning.   We’re going to walk you through the garden planning stages in our series: Creating a Colorado-friendly Garden.

Pretty Montrose, CO garden with shade trees

Planning is important whether you’re creating a garden from scratch, re-doing a dysfunctional part of the garden, or simply replacing plants that have outlived their useful lives.  Planning is important if your garden is large or small; in fact, a tiny patio garden often requires the most careful formulation.  Throughout the planning process, we discover new things about our gardens – and about ourselves.   Planning does require time and effort, but the planning stage is key to creating the garden of your dreams.  For more see:

Before we dive into the planning process, we’d like to suggest that a garden that’s ‘Colorado-friendly’ (or friendly for whatever region you live in) has much to recommend it. But for many, including those who’ve gardened for years, adopting a ‘region-friendly’ approach requires a little friendly persuasion.

[photo soon]

Your local garden center/nursery likely provides many attractive plants from throughout the world.  It also supplies an abundance of advice and products to help you grow the plants you’ve chosen.  That’s what the nursery/garden trade is all about: selling plants and, even more importantly, selling other garden products.  All those products – the soil amendments, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. – are what keep us coming back, year after year. 

Plants native to climates different from your own require regular upkeep.  Each year you essentially attempt to re-create the native conditions in which the plant grows.  And that takes time, money and effort.    If you really love a plant (for example, a tropical plant), you’re willing to put in the effort.  But does your entire garden need to be filled with such exotics?   The choice is yours, but alternative strategies do exist.

Designing a ‘Colorado-friendly Garden’ requires a new approach. In fact, it requires an actual paradigm shift in the way we view gardens and their design. Instead of first choosing plants we like, then amending our garden to fit their needs, the ‘region-friendly’ garden begins with the local site conditions.  Once the local site conditions (we like to think of them as the garden’s assets) are discovered, we can then choose plants appropriate for those conditions. Instead of trying to ‘tame’ Mother Nature, the region-friendly garden is designed to work with her.   And that’s turning the whole way we garden on its head!

So, what exactly do we mean by ‘Colorado-friendly gardening’?   A Colorado-friendly garden is one that’s fitted to the area of Colorado in which it grows.  The plants and hardscape (the non-plant parts of the garden) are chosen to be suitable for the physical characteristics of the garden.  We’re used to choosing plants suitable for our cold winters and hot summers. But a Colorado-friendly garden also works with the other physical factors unique to our site: the soil type, soil pH, soil nutrient levels, wind, amount of sunlight, etc. 

Successful gardens often prioritize water use

A Colorado-friendly garden also works with the natural soil moisture conditions. In many parts of Western Colorado, the amount of yearly precipitation is limited. While our gardens do need supplemental water to look good, we don’t live in Pennsylvania or Washington state.  An authentic, Colorado-friendly garden should look different from one in a region with 40-60+ inches of precipitation a year.

Some Coloradans are fortunate to water with local irrigation water. In some cases, we have more water than we really need! Others pay for city water by the gallon, or use precious well-water.  Whether water is abundant or scarce, we all need to consider prioritizing our garden water use.  Recent regional trends suggest more variability in our climate.  That means wet years (like this year) and drought years (like the last few).  Water is a precious commodity; we need learn to use it wisely.

Russian Olive (silvery foliage) is highly invasive.

A Colorado-friendly garden is a good neighbor.  It limits (or eliminates) plants that are likely to be invasive.  This is particularly true if the garden is close to agricultural or wild lands.  But even in the city, plant choice is important (if you want to be a good neighbor).  

The Colorado-friendly gardener also uses fertilizers and chemicals judiciously.  Herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers have their place in the home garden.  But they can also impact our neighbors’ health, and that of regional soils and water.  The Colorado-friendly garden utilizes these products only when really needed.  It treats them as the powerful ‘medicines’ they are: essential when needed, but potentially harmful to people and the environment.

Small home orchards are common in Western Colorado

But a Colorado-friendly garden is more than one that’s simply suited to the local climate and soil. It’s also rooted in the history and natural history of our state and county. If we garden in a region that is/was agricultural, it may include crop plants or trees important to the region.  If certain plants are commonly used in local gardens, it may include them.  In the Montrose area, many gardens include lilacs.  Their blooms give Montrose a unique spring flavor; if you garden in Montrose, you likely want to include a lilac or two.

White lilac: Mother Nature's Montrose Garden

The Colorado-friendly garden also reflects the unique colors, shapes and scents of the plants native to the area.  It uses locally-sourced rock, gravel, wood and other materials for its backbone.  It uses plants that grow in the region; ones that look and feel right for the setting.  Such plants are also suitable to the amount of water available now and in the years to come. 

Rabbitbush is a native commonly used in gardens

A Colorado-friendly garden provides food for the gardener and for all the creatures that visit/live in it. It encourages creatures to set up housekeeping, providing hours of enjoyment for the human inhabitants.  With time, it becomes a true functioning ecosystem, attracting birds, butterflies, pollinators and other beneficial insects. A Colorado-friendly garden has lots of activity; it’s a place we want to get out in and enjoy.

Creating an attractive, Colorado-friendly garden requires planning, time and thoughtful decisions.  But the end result is something unique: a garden that is beautiful, fitted to the local region and abundant with life.  We hope you’ll want to begin the journey with us, starting with our series Creating a Colorado-friendly Garden (begins August, 2019).

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com

Plant of the Month (June) : Western Chokecherry – Prunus viginiana

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: Mother Nature's Montrose Garden, Montrose CO

Beginning now (June, 2019) we’ll try to feature a different native plant each month.  The featured plants will be appropriate for gardens in the Four Corners states and all will grow in Mother Nature’s Montrose Garden. We hope to inspire you to consider these plants for your own garden.

One of the plants we planted last fall is our Western chokecherry, Prunus virginiana var. demissa. It’s doing well so far, and even has some small cherries right now. The scientific name is pronounced: PROO-nus  ver-jin-ee-AN-uh  dee-MISS-uh.

Prunus virginiana is native to North America.  It once grew wild in much of Canada, the United States and northern Mexico.  There are two recognized varieties: Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (the eastern chokecherry, native to the eastern US and Canada); and Prunus virginiana var. demissa (the western chokecherry, native from the Rocky Mountains to WA, OR and CA. 

Western chokecherry grows in moist areas among aspens

 on the Southern Uncompahgre Plateau, Colorado

A third variety, Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa (the Black chokecherry, native to the Four Corners states and the Pacific Northwest) is now no longer recognized as a separate variety. While now grouped with the Western chokecherry, this variety name is still used in the nursery trade for plants originating in the Four Corners states.  Their black-colored cherries do look different, and some connoisseurs swear that the fruits are tastier than those classically considered to be Prunus virginiana var. demissa.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: near Dolores, CO

In the Four Corners states, Western chokecherry grows in wooded and shrubby habitats from about 5000 to 10,000 ft. ( m.).  They can be found growing in the foothills, plateaus and mountain slopes, commonly with scrub oaks, ponderosa pine, piñon pine, juniper, cottonwoods and aspens.   Chokecherries usually grow in soils little moister than the surrounding soils; it can often be seen growing along waterways, moist road edges and on the edges of agricultural fields.  Prunus virginiana can be found in 47 out of our 64 Colorado counties and grows wild locally along roads on the Uncompahgre Plateau.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: growth form

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: 3-4-year old specimen

Prunus virginiana is a large shrub or small tree.  It varies greatly in size and form, sometimes appearing as a 3-4 ft. shrub but, in other sites, achieving mature heights of 20-30 ft. (6-9 meters).  Its mature spread can be 15-20 ft.  The overall form is erect, with many slender branches.  Some plants are shrub-like, with much branching from the base.  Others are more tree-like, with a central leader.  In some situations, Chokecherries form dense thickets.  This characteristic makes them particularly suitable for hedgerows and screens.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: leaves

Prunus virginiana is very hardy, and can be grown in USDA Zones 2-10. Chokecherries are winter-deciduous, losing all their leaves in late fall in colder climates.  In cold climates, leaves turn an attractive gold or orange in fall, making them a good source of fall color.  In warmer climates, plants may retain their leaves well into winter in some years.  The leaves are simple, ovate to elliptical, with finely-toothed margins.  The new leaves are bright green in spring, maturing to medium or dark green above and slightly paler green beneath.  The leaves contrast pleasantly with the bark, which is smooth and dark red on younger twigs and often gray on mature branches.  The foliage is a larval food source for Small-eyed Sphinx Moth & Columbia Silk Moth.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: fall color

Like many members of the genus Prunus, parts of the plant are toxic.  New growth, wilted leaves, or plant parts injured by frost or drought are particularly harmful if ingested by humans or animals. Domestic cattle and sheep have been poisoned eating too much foliage.  Despite this, Chokecherries are widely used as a forage plant in wild.  Animals as varied as bears, moose, coyotes, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, elk, deer and smaller mammals all browse Chokecherry. 

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: flower buds

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: flowers

Chokecherry flowers have many characteristics typical of the genus Prunus.  The flowers themselves are small, white to cream-colored, with five simple petals (flower parts in fives).  The flowers are arranged along drooping, 2-5 inch flowering stalks, and may be densely packed.  Plants are very showy in bloom, and the species is often used as an ornamental shrub/tree in home landscapes.  The flowers are sweetly scented – with a slight hint of almond – and attract a wide range of pollinators, including native bees and butterflies.  

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: fruits

Chokecherry is probably best known for its fruits.  The fruits are small (1/4 to ½ inch), shiny ‘cherries’ that begin green, then ripen to either red, dark-red or almost black (Four Corners States; Rockies). Even when ripe, the raw fruits are very bitter, hence the common name ‘Chokecherry’. None-the-less, birds and animals relish the fruits.  If you grow Chokecherry for its fruit, you may need to protect the ripe fruits from hungry birds!

The seeds (pits) contain high concentrations of hydrogen cyanide, a potent poison.  Fruits should not be eaten raw; however they can be cooked to render the fruit non-toxic, particularly when the seeds (pits) are removed after cooking.   Chokecherry jelly and syrup are highly prized for their color and cherry flavor.  They are one of the favorites at garden gourmet events in our gardens.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: jelly

Chokecherries can be planted fall or spring in the Four Corners region. They can be grown in all but the heaviest clay soils. They don’t do well in soils with pH > about 8.  They are shade tolerant and do well in part-shade and under trees.  While they can be grown in full sun (with adequate water), they are probably most successful when given afternoon shade in hot, dry climates.  Chokecherries like a richer soil than many of our local natives.  Organic mulch can be used to supply nutrients – or fertilize with a low-dose fertilizer in spring.  For more cultivation ideas see ref. 2.

Chokecherries also need some summer water. They have some deep roots, but also many shallow roots. For the first year after planting, keep the soil moist to allow roots to establish. At mid-elevations (4000-7500 ft.) established plants usually need water every other week from May/June through September, unless rains supply needed moisture. In Colorado, plants may need even more frequent irrigation in very hot, dry and windy periods.  Plants should be watered until soil is moist to a depth of 8-10 inches; slow, prolonged irrigation is best (if possible).  It’s best to let the soil dry out a bit between waterings, particularly in clay-loam soils.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: winter-deciduous

Like most Prunus (plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, almonds) Prunus virginiana is susceptible to black knot fungus, fireblight, and several other diseases. In general – and with judicious watering – it is healthier then the domesticated Prunus.  But keep an eye out for disease, and prune out diseased wood right away (using sterile pruners).  Western chokecherry has a pleasant natural shape.   Unless you’re training your Chokecherry to a tree or espalier it won’t need much pruning.  But you will need to prune off the root suckers, which can be common in this species.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: makes a nice hedge

If you’re in the market for a large shrub/small tree Prunus virginiana has much to recommend it.  It can be used in a mixed hedgerow or pruned up as a shade tree.  In our garden, we are espaliering our Chokecherry along a wall (most Prunus are good candidates for espalier).  The foliage is pleasant and the flowers are showy and fragrant.  The fruits can be used to make delectable jelly, syrup, fruit leathers, cordials and wine – or left as habitat for fruit-eating birds. 

Traditional medicine used tea made from the bark for stomach ailments, coughs, colds and diarrhea, and as a sedative.  The ‘tea’, as well as a poultice made from the leaves, was used to treat cuts, sores, bruises.  Dried, powdered bark was used similarly.   The ripe fruit is a laxative.  And leaves, bark and fruits can be used as natural dyes.

Yearly growth of Prunus viginiana - Mother Natures's Montrose Garden

In short, Western Chokecherry is an attractive shrub/tree with many uses.  It’s one of those native plants that provides lots of value for its cost – and the space it takes in a garden.  If you need a large shrub or small tree, Prunus virginiana may be right for your garden.

Western Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa
 [melanocarpa]: nice addition to traditional Colorado garden

1. https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?where-genre=Plant&where-taxon=Prunus+virginiana+var.+demissa
2. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1641&context=extension_curall

For a gardening information sheet see: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/prunus-virginiana

For plant information sheets on other native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html

We welcome your comments (below).  You can also send your questions to: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com