The plants in this sortable list are suited for the climate of Colorado’s front range. They are perennial, xeric and prefer well-drained soil and full sun.
🦋 = attracts butterflies or moths, 🐝 = attracts bees, 🦌 = resistant or somewhat resistant to deer, 🐇 resistant or somewhat resistant to rabbits. Color squares indicate the color of blooms, berries or seasonal leaves.
| Perennials, full sun (at least 6 hours of sun per day) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Photo | Scientific name | Common name | Native | Height | Spread | Blooms |
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Achillea filipendulina | fernleaf yarrow | No | 36-48″ | 12-36″ | June – September |
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Achillea millefolium | common yarrow | Yes | 12-24″ | 12-24″ | June – September |
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Achillea ptarmica | pearl yarrow, sneezewort, sneezeweed | No | 18-24″ | 18-24″ | June – September |
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Agastache aurantiaca | hyssop, orange hummingbird mint | No | 18-30″ | 18-24″ | July – October |
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Agastache cana | hummingbird mint | No | 12-36″ | 12-24″ | July – October |
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Allium cernuum | nodding onion | Yes | 12-24″ | 8-10″ | June – August |
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Amsonia jonesii | Colorado desert blue star, Jones’ bluestar | Yes | 12-36″ | 10-12″ | April – May |
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Agastache foeniculum | anise hyssop | Yes | 24-36″ | 18-36″ | July – October |
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Agastache rupestris | sunset hyssop | No | 12-36″ | 12-24″ | July – October |
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Aquilegia caerulea | Colorado columbine, rocky mountain columbine, Colorado blue columbine | Yes | 18-24″ | 12-18″ | May – June |
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Aquilegia chrysantha | golden columbine, yellow columbine, southwestern yellow columbine | Yes | 36-48″ | 12-24″ | May – August |
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Artemisia ludoviciana | white sage, prairie sage, silver sage, white sagebrush | Yes | 36-48″ | 24-26″ | July – October |
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Asclepias speciosa | white sage, prairie sage, silver sage, white sagebrush | Yes | 36-72″ | 24-26″ | June – August |
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Baptisia australis | false indigo | No | 36-48″ | 36-48″ | May – July |
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Berlandiera lyrata | chocolate flower, chocolate daisy, lyreleaf greeneyes | Yes | 18-24″ | 18-24″ | May – August |
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Calylophus lavandulifolius | lavenderleaf sundrops, lavender-leaf primrose | Yes | 12″ | 10″ | June – September |
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Calylophus serrulatus | yellow sundrops, yellow evening primrose, plains evening primrose | Yes | 6-8″ | 15″ | May – August |
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Centaurea montana | mountain bluet, perennial bachelor button | No | 18-24″ | 12-18″ | June – July |
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Centranthus ruber | red valerian, Jupiter’s beard | No | 24-36″ | 24-36″ | June – August |
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Cleome serrulata | Rocky Mountain bee plant, stinkweed, stinking clover, Navajo spinach | Yes | 48″ | 24-36″ | May – September |
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Coreopsis grandiflora | dwarf double coreopsis, large-flowered tickseed | No | 12-24″ | 12-36″ | June – August |
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Coreopsis lanceolata | lanceleaf coreopsis, lance-leaved coreopsis, lanceleaf tickseed, sand coreopsis | Yes | 12-24″ | 12-18″ | June – July |
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Coreopsis verticillata | threadleaf coreopsis, fernleaf coreopsis, threadleaf tickseed, whorled tickseed, whorled coreopsis | No | 12-36″ | 18-24″ | June – September |
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Dalea purpurea | purple prairie clover | Yes | 18″ | 18″ | June – August |
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Delphinium barbeyi | subalpine larkspur | Yes | 24-60″ | 12″ | June – August |
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Echinacea angustifolia | narrow-leaf coneflower | Yes | 18-24″ | 10-18″ | May – July |
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Echinacea purpurea | purple coneflower, eastern purple coneflower | No | 24-48″ | 18-24″ | June – August |
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Echium amoenum | red feathers | No | 12-16″ | 6-8″ | May – June |
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Erigeron speciosus | Aspen fleabane, showy fleabane, garden fleabane, horseweed, seaside daisy, showy daisy, showy fleabane | Yes | 12-30″ | 12-24″ | June – September |
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Erigonum umbellatum | sulfur-flower buckwheat, sulphur flower, sulphur buckwheat | Yes | 3-36″ | 15-24″ | June – September |
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Eryngium planum | sea holly | No | 24-36″ | 12-24″ | June – August |
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Eschscholzia californica | California poppy | Yes | 6-8″ | 6-12″ | June – September |
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Gaillardia aristata | native blanket flower, common gaillardia, great blanketflower, blanketflower, brown-eyed susan | Yes | 24-36″ | 24-36″ | July – September |
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Gaillardia x grandiflora | blanket flower, Indian blanket | Yes | 18-24″ | 10-12″ | June – August |
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Gaura lindheimeri | whirling butterflies, lindheimer’s beeblossom, white gaura, pink gaura, lindheimer’s clockweed, Indian feather | No | 36-60″ | 12-24″ | July – September |
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Gazania linearis | hardy gazania | No | 4-6″ | 6-18″ | May – October |
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Helianthemum nummularium | sunrose | No | 8-12″ | 36″ | May – July |
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Helianthus maximiliani | Maximilian sunfllower, max sunflower | Yes | 36-110″ | 24-48″ | August – October |
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Heliomeris multiflora | showy goldeneye | Yes | 36-48″ | 12-24″ | July – October |
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Hemerocallis spp. | daylily | No | 12-48″ | 12-24″ | June – July |
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Iberis sempervirens | candytuft, evergreen candytuft | No | 12-18″ | 12-18″ | April – June |
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Ipomopsis aggregata | scarlet gilia, scarlet standing-cypress, skyrocket, skunkflower | Yes | 24-36″ | 12″ | May – October |
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Iris germanica | iris hybrids, German iris, bearded iris | No | 8-30″ | 12-24″ | May – June |
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Iris missouriensis | Rocky Mountain iris, western blue flag | Yes | 12-24″ | 10-12″ | May – June |
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Knautia macedonica | knautia, Macedonian scabious, widow flower | No | 18-36″ | 18-24″ | June – August |
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Kniphofia caulescens | regal torch lily | No | 40″ | 24-36″ | July – September |
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Kniphofia uvaria | torch lily, red hot poker | No | 24-48″ | 24-36″ | July – September |
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Lavandula angustifolia | English lavender, common lavender | No | 12-18″ | 24-30″ | May – September |
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Liatris punctata | spotted gayflower, dotted blazing star | Yes | 12-24″ | 10-12″ | August – October |
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Liatris spicata | blazing star, gayfeather, prairie feather | No | 18-36″ | 12-24″ | July – September |
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Linum lewisii | prairie flax, Lewis flax, wild blue flax | Yes | 18-24″ | 12-24″ | May – July |
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Lychnis coronaria | rose campion | No | 18-36” | 12-24″ | May – July |
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Machaeranthera bigelovii | Bigelow’s tansyaster, sticky aster | Yes | 12-36″ | 12-36″ | August – October |
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Mirabilis multiflora | desert four o’clock | Yes | 36″ | 36″ | June – September |
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Mondara fistulosa | wild bergamot | Yes | 36-60″” | 18-24″ | June – September |
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Nepeta spp. | catmint | No | 8-36″ | 18″ | May-October |
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Oenothera macrocarpa ssp. Incana | evening primrose, bigfruit evening primrose, silver leaf primrose | No | 4″ | 16-24″ | April-August |
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Papaver orientale | oriental poppy | No | 24-30″ | 6-24″ | May – June |
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Penstemon eatonii | firecracker penstemon, firecracker beardtongue, Eaton’s penstemon, Eaton’s beardtongue | Yes | 24-36″ | 12-18″ | May – June |
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Penstemon grandiflorus | large beardtongue | No | 18-36” | 12-24″ | May |
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Penstemon linarioides var. coloradoensis | bluemat penstemon, toadflax penstemon | Yes | 8-12″ | 12-16″ | May – June |
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Penstemon mensarum | Grand Mesa beardtongue | Yes | 24-36″ | 12-18″ | May – June |
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Penstemon rostriflorus | beaked penstemon, bridge penstemon | Yes | 12-36″ | 6-12″ | July – September |
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Penstemon secundiflorus | sidebells penstemon, sidebells beardtongue | Yes | 8-12″ | 18-20″ | May – July |
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Penstemon strictus | Rocky mountain penstemon | Yes | 24-30″ | 36″ | May – August |
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Penstemon virens | blue mist penstemon, Front Range penstemon, Front Range beardtongue, blue mist beardtongue | Yes | 8″ | 8-10″ | May – August |
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Phlox longifolia | longleaf phlox | Yes | 4-6″ | 12-24″ | May – June |
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Phlox subulata | creeping phlox | No | 4-6” | 12-24″ | May – June |
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Potentilla nivea | snowy cinquefoil | Yes | 12″ | 12″ | June – August |
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Pulsatilla patens | eastern pasqueflower, prairie crocus, American pasqueflower | Yes | 4-6″ | 3-6″ | March-June |
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Pulsatilla vulgaris | pasque flower | No | 6-12″ | 12″ | March – April |
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Ratibida columnifera | prairie coneflower, mexican hat, long-headed coneflower | Yes | 12-36″ | 12-18″ | June – October |
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Rudbeckia fulgida | perennial black-eyed Susan, orange coneflower | No | 24-36″ | 12-24″ | July – September |
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Rudbeckia hirta | black-eyed Susan | Yes | 24-36″ | 12-24″ | April – October |
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Salvia argentea | silver sage | No | 24-36″ | 12-18″ | June – July |
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Salvia nemorosa | woodland sage, blue sage, wild sage, Balkan clary | No | 18-24″ | 24-36″ | June – August |
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| image | Thermopsis divaricarpa | golden banner, spreadfruit goldenbanner | Yes | 36″ | 18″ | May- August |
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Veronica spicata | royal blue veronica | No | 16″ | 16″ | June – August |
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Viola corsica | Corsican violet | No | 6-8″ | 12″ | April-September |
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