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5 Water-Wise Planting Plans – Fine Gardening

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Michael Barbour is a gifted plant propagator who offers a wide variety of steppe-adapted species to gardeners in Colorado’s Front Range and beyond. His home garden holds hundreds of horticultural treasures, including some locally native species and selections from regions with similar climates around the world. Among the many tough, drought-tolerant cultivars are a few favorites that receive a little more water and care. Michael has also assembled an impressive collection of dwarf conifers with varied forms, colors, and growth rates. The following plant lists offer a deeper dive into a xeric garden that is far from dry and boring. 

Learn More About Michael Barbour’s Water-Wise Garden

Lush Layers of Tough, Low-Maintenance Plants

‘Pendula’ Eastern white pine and other small screening trees enclose the front garden and shelter a shaded microclimate at ground level.

Plant list

  1. ‘Waterperry Blue’ speedwell (Veronica ‘Waterperry Blue’, Zones 4–8) 
  2. Orange Carpet® hummingbird trumpet (Zauschneria garrettii ‘PWWG01S’, Zones 5–9) 
  3. Perennial sunflower (Helianthus cv., Zones 4–9) 
  4. Heuchera, red-flowered cultivar (Heuchera cv., Zones 4–9) 
  5. Oakleaf mountain ash (Sorbus x hybrida, Zones 3–7) 
  6. ‘Pendula’ Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Pendula’, Zones 3–8) 
  7. Ivory Halo Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Bailhalo’, Zones 3–7) 
  8. Hardy geranium (Geranium cv., Zones 3–8) 
  9. ‘Nidiformis’ Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Nidiformis’, Zones 3–7)

Wide Gravel Pathways Link Beds Together 

Gravel pathway and garden plants labeled with numbers
Gravel mulch doesn’t break down or alter soil fertility the way wood mulch does. Here it serves as a unifying visual element that reduces moisture loss and makes walking through the garden easy and inviting.

Plant list

  1. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata, Zones 3–9) 
  2. Himalayan whorlflower (Morina longifolia, Zones 6–9) 
  3. Red feathers (Echium amoenum, Zones 3–9) 
  4. ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’, Zones 4–8) 
  5. ‘Pendula’ Nootka cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis syn. Xanthocyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’, Zones 4–7) 
  6. ‘Blue Shag’ Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’, Zones 3–8) 
  7. ‘Tiffindell Magenta’ ice flower (Delosperma ‘Tiffindell’, Zones 5–9) 
  8. Columbine (Aquilegia cv., Zones 3–9) 
  9. ‘Penasco’ pinyon pine (Pinus edulis ‘Penasco’, Zones 5–8) 
  10. ‘Olympica’ harebell (Campanula rotundifolia ‘Olympica’, Zones 3–6) 

A Sloped Area Showcases Diverse Shapes and Forms

Water-wise garden bed planting with lots of color and texture
In this horticultural amphitheater, taller plants are mostly kept toward the outer edges to prevent them from blocking views and shading out lower-growing species. Selectively watering just a few moisture-loving favorites allows for some unexpected combinations that aren’t part of the typical xeric plant palette.

Plant list

  1. ‘Cambridge’ geranium (Geranium × cantabrigiense ‘Cambridge’, Zones 5–8) 
  2. ‘Blue Shag’ Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’, Zones 3–8) 
  3. Beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata, Zones 6–11) 
  4. ‘Argentea’ fountain butterfly bush (Buddleja alternifolia ‘Argentea’, Zones 4b–8) 
  5. ‘Prairie Joy’ shrub rose (Rosa ‘Prairie Joy’, Zones 3–8) 
  6. Silky wormwood (Artemisia pedemontana subsp. assoana, Zones 4–9) 
  7. Blue mist penstemon (Penstemon virens, Zones 4–8) 
  8. ‘Electric Blue’ foothill penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Electric Blue’, Zones 5–9) 
  9. ‘Prairie Jewel’ penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus ‘Prairie Jewel’, Zones 3–9) 
  10. ‘Black Prince’ Austrian pine (Pinus nigra ‘Black Prince’, Zones 4–8) 

A Shady Area Is a Haven for Woodland Species

Shady garden under a tree with water wise plants
Rock gardens don’t always need to be built in full sun. The dappled light under this paper birch is suitable for many shade plants that appreciate improved drainage.

Plant list

  1. Variegated sweet iris (Iris pallida ‘Variegata’, Zones 4–9) 
  2. Crested gentian (Gentiana septemfida, Zones 4–7) 
  3. ‘Tiny Monster’ hardy geranium (Geranium ‘Tiny Monster’, Zones 4–8) 
  4. Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata cv., Zones 4–8) 
  5. Tube clematis (Clematis heracleifolia, Zones 3–8) 
  6. Flowering onion (Allium cv., Zones 5–7)
  7. Paper birch (Betula papyrifera, Zones 2–6)
  8. ‘Uncle Fogy’ jack pine (Pinus banksiana ‘Uncle Fogy’, Zones 2–7)
  9. ‘Purple Fountain’ beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Purple Fountain’, Zones 4–7) 

Areas of Fine Detail Invite Daily Exploration

Rock crevice garden with alpine plants with number labels
Alpine plants live their absolute best lives when they reach their roots into deep, stony crevices. It is always worthwhile to take a knee and marvel at the seasonal nuances of these tiny treasures from around the world, particularly during the peak bloom season in spring.

Plant list

  1. ‘Blue Shag’ Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus ‘Blue Shag’, Zones 3–8)
  2. Blue grassy bells (Edraianthus graminifolius, Zones 4–9)
  3. Ukrainian pink (Dianthus squarrosus, Zones 4–9)
  4. Yellow skullcap (Scutellaria orientalis, Zones 5–8)
  5. ‘Tiffindell’ ice plant (Delosperma ‘Tiffindell’, Zones 5–9)
  6. Horned rampion (Phyteuma scheuchzeri, Zones 5–8)
  7. Golden aster (Heterotheca jonesii, Zones 5–8)
  8. ‘Thompson Brothers Broom’ pinyon pine (Pinus edulis ‘Thompson Brothers Broom’, Zones 5–8)
  9. Spanish sandwort (Arenaria alfacarensis, Zones 5–9)
  10. Velebit degenia (Degenia velebitica, Zones 5–7)
  11. Prickly thrift (Acantholimon sarytavicum, Zones 4–8)
  12. ‘Anton Fahndrich’ rock daphne (Daphne × susannae ‘Anton Fahndrich’, Zones 5–9)

 

Related Articles:
Learn more about how this garden was designed here.
See more planting plans here
Regional Garden Advice for the Mountain West
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Fine Gardening Recommended Products

DeWalt Variable-Speed Cordless Reciprocating Saw

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

You can fit a variety of blades to this saw to cut fallen branches or prune larger limbs from trees in a pinch. It’s fast, tough, easy to use, and extremely versatile.
– 18.31 x 6.13 x 4 inches
– 1-1/8-inch stroke length
– Variable speed trigger with 0-3000 spm

Buffalo-Style Gardens: Create a Quirky, One-of-a-Kind Private Garden with Eye-Catching Designs

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Buffalo-Style Gardens is a one-of-a-kind, offbeat garden design book that showcases the wildly inventive gardens and gardeners of Buffalo – and offers readers “the best of the best” ideas to use in their own small-space gardens.

Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, Revised and Updated Second Edition: A Natural Approach to Pest Control

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This revised and updated edition of Jessica Walliser’s award-winning Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden offers a valuable and science-backed plan for bringing balance back to the garden. With this indispensable gardening reference—now updated with new research, insights, and voices—learn how to create a healthy, balanced, and diverse garden capable of supporting a hard-working crew of beneficial pest-eating insects and eliminate the need for synthetic chemical pesticides.

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Michael Barbour

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