Discover how these Native Colorado Flowers can bring beauty to your home and replace the typical most common to home decor. If you didn’t know, Colorado has some of the most beautiful native flowers and a wide variety of flourishing ecosystems. Once you explore their beauty, they might inspire you to decorate your home and outdoor space.
Why Choose Native Colorado Flowers
You don’t need to go far to enjoy the beauty of the natural Colorado landscape. And You don’t even need to leave your house to reap the beautiful benefits. Opting for plants native to the state to decorate your home is a surefire way to brighten up your living space. More so, it’s a sustainable way to enjoy plant life in your house and yard. can add native plants to your yard to bring life to your home.
Too many people force unnatural plants into their homes and yards, which can have a negative ecological impact on their homes and potentially harm plants native to the area. Moreover, the state is ripe with various stunning plants and flowers to choose from for you to enjoy at home. Therefore, you can also use native trees and shrubs in your yard. And you can decorate your home and garden with some stunning flowers native to Colorado.
To avoid particularly invasive and harmful plants for landscaping, revegetation, and restoration, check out this sheet by the Colorado Native Plant Society. It will surprise you to discover how many invasive and non-native plants live in your neighborhood—or worse, in your yard.
Below, we will explore the beauty and wonders of some of the native Colorado flowers.
What Is The Risk of Invasive Plants?
Invasive plants are threats to your area’s natural biodiversity of native Colorado flowers. They can invade the ecosystem and pollute the area, limiting the diversity of shrubs, plants, herbs, and trees. Moreover, this could harm other forms of wildlife and throw a cork in the food chain, as native animals rely on native plants to thrive and survive.
The City of Portland, Oregon, detailed six significant issues that arise when left unchecked can become an invasive species :
Water Quality
When invasive plant species, like ivy and clematis, take over the ground cover, there is very little root structure to bind the soil. As a result, areas with invasive plants erode faster in the case of a flood, affecting water quality in the area.
Biodiversity
Invasive species take over and create monocultures, which limits biodiversity and hurts the natural makeup of the area by choking other plants.
Fish & Wildlife Habitat
Furthermore, invasive plants cause a decline in native plants, fish, and other wildlife and can experience the direct effects of the change in plant life in the area. Nutrients and native plants and animals that other species rely on for food can experience a forcing out or harm.
Tree Cover
Because invasive species can affect the health, growth, or lifespan of trees or the altering of trees in one way or the other. More so, this can limit critical sunlight exposure for plants that need it or result in an overabundance, which could harm certain plants that rely on tree cover. In addition, this can affect growth rates and wildlife habitation of native Colorado flowers.
Fire Risk
Monocultures caused by invasive plant species can fuel the spread of wildfires. More so, particularly if an invasive species lines acres of trees or plants over a large area.
Cost
Invasive plants can hurt crops and agriculture or potentially wipe out specific food sources. In turn, this could leave local economies scrambling.
While these risks are present at a much lower rate in your yard or house than in a dense forest or natural area, you don’t want to harm the ecosystem where you live.
What Are Some Notorious Invasive Plants in Colorado?
The Southern Gables Neighborhood Association in Lakewood, Colorado, detailed three main notorious invasive species to everyday yards and homes in the state.
- Myrtle Spurge – A grayish-blue succulent plant that flowers between March and May, this noxious weed is toxic to your yard and potentially to you. People can experience burning while handling myrtle spurge without gloves or proper protective gear. In addition, their seeds “explode” up to 15 feet away from the original plant, making a spread easy to get out of hand.
- Cheatgrass – This grass is highly flammable and spreads seeds via animals or wind. This invasive species grows very fast and can quickly take over your yard and dominate your grass area, preventing the germination of native plants.
- Field Bindweed – This ropey, vine-like invasive plant is found throughout the United States and can even grow on upright plants. It has deep roots, and seeds can be dominant in soil for up to 60 years. It can spread deep and outwards, limiting growth for other plants and taking over your yard.
What Native Colorado flowers Should I Use To Decorate My Home?
Luckily, several safe and would thrive in your yard and your home. Below is a list of five native plants that will fit perfectly into your home or green space.
1 – Chocolate Flower
If the name doesn’t entice you enough, this native Colorado flower has a fragrance resembling chocolate. It’s a tough perennial plant native to the Colorado Springs area that would add a beautiful and natural shade to your yard or in a vase on your kitchen table or windowsill. When it comes to native Colorado flowers, this one will look beautiful in any home.
2 – Black-Eyed Susan
Add a bright, yellow presence to your garden with this beautiful native flower, named for its black, round center. This low-maintenance flower blooms annually and is challenging for the seemingly never-ending drought Colorado is experiencing. When it comes to native Colorado flowers, the Black-eyed Susan makes a beautiful presentation.
3 – Colorado Blue Columbine
Add a soothing blue hue to your garden to compliment the red and yellow flowers listed above. This native plant is often called the Rocky Mountain Columbine. Its large and beautifully bold flowers will bring much joy to any home. It’s a short-lived flower, but it can reach up to two feet tall when it blooms.
4 – Fringed Sage
To add some diversity to your garden, consider the fringed sage. This native plant is grasslike in appearance and often referred to as prairie sagewort. However, it’s mostly a sage or brushlike green resembling a bush or bushing.
Sulfur Buckwheat Flower
This flower, also called sulfur buckwheat, is critical for local pollinators in Colorado. It’s a beautifully yellow, evergreen flower that grows slowly and blooms in the summer and fall. Ideally, these low-maintenance flowers suit your neighborhood’s climate and plant and insect life. Stunning native Colorado flowers like these will add a unique beauty to any garden in your home.
Add Some Native Colorado Flowers To Your Decor
It’s always a good idea to research to help yourself identify and remove potentially harmful invasive plant species in your yard. However, be weary about removing them, and ensure you have all the protective gear to do the job.
Then, consider replacing them with native plants that will benefit your local environment and brighten your yard. Furthermore, it will have substantial and beneficial effects on your yard, make your home more attractive, and limit the damage done by invasive species. A slight change can go a long way in improving the state’s plant life.
