Spring is in the Air: 5 Native Plants to Elevate Your Utah Landscape
As the cold winter days begin to fade and the warmth of spring fills the air, it's time to start thinking about rejuvenating your outdoor space. It is the perfect time to start cleaning up and prep the ground for the perfect garden. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just beginning your landscaping journey, incorporating native plants that thrive in Utah's desert climate can breathe new life and elevate your garden. At Cactus & Tropicals, we're dedicated to helping our customers express themselves by creating beautiful outdoor spaces that bring joy and beauty year-round. In this blog post, we'll explore five native plants that will elevate your Utah landscape this spring and help you express yourself through your garden. No matter what type of gardener you are, we can help you find the right plants for your style and needs.
Incorporating these native plants into your garden can help not only satisfy your aesthetic desires but also allow you to connect with the natural beauty of the region.
Native plants help boost the ecosystem around us by improving soil nutrients and health, attracting bees and other important critters, and conserving water. You can find many varieties of native plants at Cactus & Tropicals and can find the right accessories to help start you off on the right foot. Let’s look at 5 native plants in Utah that can be added to your garden.
The Utah Juniper (Juniperus Osteosperma) is an iconic native tree with silvery-blue foliage. This tree can grow anywhere from 10 to 20 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide, providing a great living fence for privacy. They enjoy sunlight and well drained soil with infrequent watering. If you are looking to create a xeriscape for your yard, then this is a great plant to consider. It does well in arid climates and can give you both height and privacy.
Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer Glabrum) will give you the height for sure, as this plant can reach 15 to 30 feet in height.
This plant loves partial shade to full sun with well-drained soil. This plant, unlike the Utah Juniper, does not like to be dry. If you have a moist area of your garden, then this is a great plant to consider. This is a great plant to shape and provide a nice orange color in the fall with the changing of the season.
The vibrant Penstemon, also known as Beardtongue, adds a splash of color to any garden with its trumpet-shaped flowers ranging from red and pink to purple and blue. These hardy perennials thrive in well-drained soil and prefer full sun to partial shade. With their drought-tolerant nature, Penstemons are ideal for xeriscaping projects, requiring minimal water once established. These versatile plants attract pollinators like bees and hummingbirds, making them a valuable addition to any landscape design.
Apache Plume, a resilient shrub native to the southwestern United States, boasts delicate white flowers that give way to feathery pink seed heads, resembling a flurry of cotton candy. This drought-tolerant plant thrives in dry, rocky soils and is well-suited for Utah. Apache Plume's airy foliage and graceful arching branches add texture and movement to the landscape, while its tolerance to harsh conditions makes it a low-maintenance choice for arid climates. This hardy shrub attracts butterflies and provides year-round interest with its distinctive seed plumes.
Sedums, commonly known as stonecrops, are succulent perennials prized for their resilience and versatility. With their fleshy, water-storing leaves, Sedums are perfectly adapted to thrive in dry, sunny conditions, making them a staple in xeriscapes and rock gardens. These low-maintenance plants come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, from creeping ground covers to upright garden specimens. Sedums produce clusters of star-shaped flowers in shades of pink, red, white, and yellow, attracting butterflies and bees to the garden. Their ability to withstand drought and poor soil conditions makes Sedums an excellent choice for water-wise landscaping projects.
Incorporating these native plants into your Utah landscape not only satisfies your aesthetic desires but also allows you to connect with the natural beauty of the region and help boost the ecosystem around you.
These plants can help conserve water, improve soil structure, and prevent erosion. At Cactus & Tropicals, we offer a wide selection of pots, accessories, and services to help you bring your landscape vision to life. Visit one of our greenhouses today to explore our latest collections and start transforming your outdoor space into an oasis that thrives in Utah's desert climate.
With spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start planning your landscape makeover. By incorporating these native plants, you can create a stunning and resilient landscape that will be the envy of the neighborhood. So why wait? Visit Cactus & Tropicals today and let us help you elevate your Utah landscape to new heights.