Alamosa Flowers: Colorado's San Luis Valley

Hardy Garden

I’m frequently asked what I’d grow if I wanted color throughout the summer but had limited gardening time and wanted to think Xeriscape. Quite an order given the challenging conditions of the San Luis Valley.

The following table shows my selections: a variety of purchased plants (or cuttings), seeds, and bulbs. Let me know what you think. What would you add/delete?

You don't need to plant all of these! This table gives suggestions for types and all-season color.

GOOD SOIL: The first requirement is to make sure you have good soil – not just dirt! I find much of the soil/dirt in my yard becomes very compacted, so I dig at least 10 inches deep and mix in compost, peat moss, and possibly soil conditioner and some good potting soil. Some sources suggest only scratching the soil surface before sowing ‘wild flower’ type seeds so that you don’t bring up weed seeds. I don’t find this works for me.

MONTH						Click names for details
	Common Name	Blossom Color	Category	Height	Source	Scientific Name(s)
APRIL: Often this month is very cold, but a few things tend to bloom.
	Bulbs, short (more coming) Iris, Danfordiae	Yellow	Bulb	6 in.	bulbs	iris danfordiae
	Bulbs, Daffodil tete-a-tete	Yellow	Bulb	6 in.	bulbs	narcissus cyclamineus
	Phlox, Creeping: Lavender is hardiest	Lavender	Groundcover - Perennial	4 - 6 in	nursery stock, divisions	phlox stolonifera
MAY: Hope springs eternal! The start of summer – a few flowers start blooming
	Alyssum, Gold Dust	Yellow	Groundcover - Perennial	4 - 6 in	nursery stock	aurinia saxatillis
	Aster, Alpine	White	Groundcover - Perennial	4 - 6 in	nursery stock, divisions	aster ?
	Cushion spurge: clump-forming herbaceous perennial	Yellow	Perennial	1/2 - 2 ft.	nursery stock, transplants, cuttings, self seeds	euphorbia polychroma
	Flax, Blue	Blue	Perennial	1-2 ft.	nursery stock, transplants, self seeds	linum lewisii
	Poppies, California	Yellow- orange	Annual	6-12 in.	nursery stock, seeds, self seeds	eschscholzia californica
	Poppies, Icelandic : long blooming if dead-headed	Yellow, orange	Perennial	8-14 in.	nursery stock, transplants, self seeds	papaver nuudicaule
	Soapwort : lovely mounds of small pink blossoms and nice foliage rest of season	Pink	Perennial	6-16 in.	nursery stock, divisions, self seeds	saponaria ocymoides
JUNE:
	Asters, Early: there are several, but I love this one.	Blue	Perennial	10-15 in.	nursery stock, divisions	aster alpinus 'Goliath'
	Blanket Flower	Yellow- red	Perennial	10-30 in.	nursery stock, seeds, divisions, self seeds	gaillardia
	Columbine: Rky columbine is best know & does well here. Other varieties do also.	Blue, yellow, red, burgundy	Perennial	1-3 ft.	nursery stock, self seeding, transplants	aquilegia species
	Penstemon: Blue is best known & hardiest, but pink is also good. Deadheading causes later rebloom	Blue, pink	Perennial	2 ft.	nursery stock, divisions, self seeding, seeds	penstemon strictus
	Poppies, Oriental: photo looks more red, but mine are orange	Orange, red	Perennial	2ft.	nursery stock, divisions	papaver oriental
	Poppies, Shirley	Pink, red, white	Annual	10-24 in.	seeds, self seeding	papaver rhoeas
	Sage, Midnight	Purple	Perennial	18 in.	nursery stock, divisions, self seeding	salvia nemorosa
	Snow in Summer	White	Groundcover- Perennial	4-10 in.	nursery stock, divisions	cerastium tomentosum
JULY: Many June flowers continue into July
	Calendula	Orange	Annual	6-18 in.	nursery stock, seeds, self seeds	calendula officinalis
	Coneflower, Purple	Purple	Perennial	18-40 in.	nursery stock, divisions, transplants	echinacea purpurea
	Daisy, Shasta: various varieties	White	Perennial	1-2 ft.	nursery stock, divisions, seeds	chyrsanthemum maximum
	Lily, Stella D’oro	Yellow	Perennial	12-18 in.	nursery stock, divisions	hemerocallis stella d'oro
	Sedum, creeping/low: number of types	Yellow	Groundcover- Perennial	2-4 in.	nursery stock, divisions	sedum ybridum
AUGUST: Many July flowers continue into August
	Asters, Tall Fall	Lavender, Rose	Perennial	1-4 ft.	nursery stock, self seeds	aster ?
	Daisy, Gloriosa	Yellow, Yellow-red	Perennial	1-2 ft.	nursery stock, seeds, self seeds	rudbeckia hirta
	Sedum, Autumn Joy	Rose	Perennial	15-18 in.	nursery stock, division	sedum telephium 'autumn joy'
	Yarrow, Tall	Yellow	Perennial	2-5 ft.	nursery stock, division	achillea filipendulina
SEPTEMBER: Many August flowers continue into September if weather is mild