Friday, May 16, 2014

Public Service #7: A plant-list for Aspen

You well know those lectures where the speaker talks fast and slides stream by fast enough that by the time you've fallen in love with a plant and wiped the drool from your chin, you've not had time to take the name down.  Well, it happens to me all the time at least.  That is what this post is for- a list of the plant names, most important notes, and sources to acquire them.

This is a plant-list for attendees of the most recent lecture as of this morning:  Must-Have Xeric plants for the Roaring Fork Valley, (Which is Aspen, Basalt, and friends) hosted by the Center for Resource Conservation and the City of Aspen. (Thanks, ladies)

Thanks to all who attended, you were a riotous crowd.  I'm suprised they didn't kick us out of the library.

Pediocactus simpsonii,  the Mountain-Ball Cactus



Trees
Bristlecone pine: Pinus aristata
Wasatch/Bigtooth Maple: Acer grandidentatum

Shrubs
Golden Clove Currant: Ribes Aureum  {Sun/Shade. dry/moist}
Manzanitas!: Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis (example: "Panchito.") and A. patula {part sun/part dry}
Mahonia repens: CO native Oregon-grape  {Dry dry shade or sun.}
Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany: Cercocarpus ledifolius  {snow-tough}
Mormon-tea: Ephedra viridis (Native green), Ephedra equisetina (Chinese blue), Ephedra  minima (Mini Tibetan)

Flowers
Pasque-Flowers: Pulsatilla vulgaris of Europe of P. patens of Colorado (example: Minturn, Boulder…)
Sufur-flower: Eriogonum umbellatum
Erigeron: All the Flea-banes...
Sun-daisy, Perky-Sue: Hymenoxys scaposa or H. caespitosa.  {Sun, med-dry} tireless bloom
Creeping Penstemons:  P. caespitosa, procumbens {of Crested Butte}, and P. crandallii.
Penstemons for Shade:  P. proceras and especially P. virens.
Viola corsica (Corsican Violet) {Shade. sun, moist-med-dryish, edible flowers}
Spurges: Euphorbia sp.  Elk and deerproof, but poisonous...
Artemisia sp.  Animal resistant, naitves are generally very dry.  
Lamb's ear: Stachys byzantina.  Sun/part-shade, animal resistant.
Humminbird trumpets:  Zauschneria sp.  {reblooming, SUN}
Globe-Mallow or Cowboy's delight:  Sphaeralcea coccinea. {Spreads, very dry.  Sun} S. monroana is bigger, not-spreading, and does rebloom.


Oddballs
Echium sp.  "Red Feathers."  Butterfly magnets, long-bloomers.
Thermopsis: Native or not: Golden-banners.  Tough, clumping, the native is aggressive.
Bukiniczia cabulica: A bienniel; order seed; It comes from either Mars or a Pakistani glacier!
Paintbrushes… Castilleja integra is easiest to establish.  Sow seed on disturbed, new soils and say a prayer.

Bulbs (Xeric by means of sleeping through summer)[available from Brent & Becky's Bulbs]
Wee blue things: Scilla/Chionodoxa/Puschkinia
Fritillaria: oftenlbs]
The heavenly snowdrops: Galanthus sp.  Why the heck does everyoen grow these!!!
"Species" or "Botanical" Tulips.  T. sylvestris, T. linifolia, T. tarda, T. dasystemon.

Grasses
Blue gramma: Boutelous gracilis.  Toothbrushy eyelashes.  Dry dry.
Lil'Bluestem: Schizachyrium scoparium.  Joseph's-technicolor-nothing compared to this.  Sun.

Cacti&Succulents
Sempervivums and Sedums- collect them all & try new flavors!
Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' is a classic, psychedellic "gateway succulent"
Flameflower: Talinum calycinum and friends.
Snowball Cactus: Escobaria sneedii/leei
Mountain-Ball cactus. Native basketball-sized.
Fragile Prickly-Pear or Potato Cactus.

Sources:
coldhardycactus.com
Timberline Gardens: Arvada, CO
Planted Earth: Carbondale, CO
Brent and Becky's Bulbs (VA mailorder/internet)
Chelsea Nursery, Clifton (Grand Junction), CO
LaPorte Ave. Nursery: Ft. Collins (Online or wholesale)
Sunscapes Rare Plant Nursery: Pueblo, CO (Online or wholelsale)
Alplains (Online or paper catalogue of seeds)
Western Native Seed (Online)


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quite the unique spam comment above!

Anyway, I enjoyed your extensive plant list. Bigtooth Maple, manzanitas, and your choice of grasses and succulents / cacti are my highlights, and so in-need there over the much more common, 1 dimensional habitual high montane / mesic species from what I remember. A great list!

I hope your lectures are all going well, not to mention your work.

Jay Akerley said...

Very helpful and inspiring list! I am looking up a few of these.