Bloom Season List

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Criteria:

Native to Colorado Plateau

Organized by season during which plant begins to bloom

The background color of the Common Name denotes bloom color

Commercially Available (compared to Fabulous Plant List and commercial growers)

Click on the plant's scientific name to be connected to a description of that plant at the USDA website

 

 

H = High Water

M = Moderate Water                                                                                   = Full Sun

L = Low Water                                                                                             = Part Sun / Part Shade

VL = Very Low Water                      

                                                         

Season Common Name Scientific Name Height Width Sun Water Zone Interest/Notes

Western Wallflower Erysimum wheeleri to 2 ft     M-L Perennial; orange flowers bloom in early spring

Bigtooth Maple Acer grandidentatum to 25 ft     M Small tree; greenish-yellow flowers in clusters
Bluebells of Scotland Campanula rotundifolia 6-12 in 12 in   M Perennial; good ground cover, long-blooming bell-shaped flowers
Orange Mountain Daisy Dugaldia hoopesii 3 ft     M Perennial; early and heavy bloomer, attracts butterflies
Mat Buckwheat Eriogonum caespitosum to 6 in     L Perennial; tiny gray leaves form a tight mat
New Mexico Privet Forestiera neomexicana to 20 ft     L Shrub; yellow flowers in spring, yellow leaves in fall
Old Man Hymenoxys bigelovii 2 ft     M-L Early-blooming solitary large daisy atop wooly tall stems
Creeping Barberry Mahonia repens to 1 ft     M-L Perennial; good ground cover with blue-green leaves
Parry's Penstemon Penstemon parryi 3 ft 3 ft   L Penstemon; silver-leaved beardtongue from dry hillsides, canyons
Desert Penstemon Penstemon pseudospectabilis 3 ft      L Penstemon; blue-green triangular leaves, attracts hummingbirds
Paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina 2 ft 2 ft   L Perennial; yellow flowers which remain on plant when dry
Antelope Bush Purshia tridentata 3-5 ft     L Shrub; small, yellow flowers resembling wild roses
Golden Currant Ribes aureum 3-6 ft     M Shrub; deciduous leaves with lovely fall color
Wild Rose Rosa woodsii 3-4 ft      M-L Shrub; spreading, pink single roses, edible rose hips
Axhead Butterweed Senecio multilobatus 2 ft 2 ft   M-L Perennial; early bloomer with numerous yellow daisies
Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa 10 ft 10 ft   M Shrub; glossy red and edible fruit
Cowboy's Delight Sphaeralcea coccinea 10 in 24 in   L-VL Good ground cover; small coral orange flowers
Arizona Mules' Ears Wyethia arizonica 2.5 ft 2.5 ft   M Perennial; yellow sunflowers to 4 in

Thimbleweed Anemone cylindrica 1-2 ft 1.5 ft   M Perennial; white flowers on tall stems in late-spring
Scarlet Columbine Aquilegia formosa 2 ft      M-L Perennial; red-yellow bicolor blooms with long spurs
Freemont Geranium Geranium fremontii 20 in 20 in   M-L Perennial; pale purple flowers and fragrant palmate leaves
Coral Bells Heuchera sanguinea 12 in 15 in   M-L Perennial; long-lasting pink to carmine flowers attract hummingbirds
Twinberry Lonicera involucrata 3-6 ft 3-6 ft   M Shrub; sprawling branches with white bark; attracts birds
Mat Penstemon Penstemon linarioides 6 in 12 in   L Penstemon; low-growing blue-purple flowers attract hummingbirds
Jacob's Ladder Polemonium caeruleum 1.5 ft     M Perennial; long-lasting, early-blooming, pale blue flowers

Arizona Honeysuckle Lonicera arizonica to 2.5 ft 4 ft   M Vining shrub; attractive to hummingbirds
Lewis' Monkeyflower Mimulus lewisii 1-2 ft 1 ft   M Perennial; magenta to violet-pink flowers with rounded petals
Western Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus inserta 3-15 ft     M-L Vine; clusters of small, yellow flowers, blue-black berries
Phlox Penstemon Penstemon ambiguus 2 ft 2 ft   L Penstemon; pale pink flowers in early summer
Sunset Crater Penstemon Penstemon clutei 1-3 ft     M-L Penstemon; blue-green evergreen leaves
Dusky Penstemon Penstemon comarrhenus 2.5 ft 2.5 ft   L Penstemon; plant with pinyon-juniper or among ponderosa pines
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana 12 ft 6 ft   M-L Shrub; bright green leaves and fragrant white blossoms

Licorice Mint Hyssop Agastache rupestris 18-30 in 18 in   L Perennial; spikes of orange and lavendar flowers
Pink Nodding Onion Allium cernuum 1 ft      M Perennial; edible blossoms, good in salads
Rocky Mountain Columbine Aquilegia caerulea 2 ft 2 ft   M Perennial; large blue and white flowers with long, graceful spurs
Golden Columbine Aquilegia chrysantha 2-3 ft 1-2 ft   M Perennial; yellow blooms with long spurs all summer
Meadow Arnica Arnica chamissonis 4 in spreading   M Perennial; good ground cover with yellow sunflowers
Showy Milkweed Asclepias speciosa 1-3 ft 2 ft   M Perennial; pale green leaves and clusters of star-shaped flowers
Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa 2-3 ft 2 ft   M-L Perennial; large showy orange cluster of small flowers
Milk Vetch Astragalus mollissimus 6 in 6 in   L Perennial; purple pea flowers attract butterflies
Tassel-Flower Brickellia grandiflora 2-3 ft      M-L Perennial; light green foliage and creamy yellow flowers
Paintbrush Castilleja integra to 1.5 ft      M-L Perennial; flowers with showy red bracts in summer
Geranium-Leaf Larkspur Delphinium geraniifolium to 1.5 ft     M-L Perennial; very showy large flowers spikes attract hummingbirds
Dayflower Commelina dianthifolia 1 ft 1 ft   L-VL Perennial; sky-blue flowers emerge every morning
Fireweed Epilobium angustifolium 2-4 ft     M Perennial; dark pink 4-petaled flowers
Showy Aster Erigeron speciosus 2 ft 2 ft   M Perennial; narrow-petaled daisy flowers throughout summer
Red-Root Buckwheat Eriogonum racemosum 6-18 in     L Perennial; woodlands, basal rosette of velvety gray leaves
Sulfur-Flowered Buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum 4-12 in     L Perennial; evergreen leathery foliage
Indian Blanket Gaillardia aristata 1-2 ft 2 ft   L Perennial; large red daisies with yellow tips
Blanket Flower Gaillardia pulchella 18 in 12 in   M-L Annual; red-tipped yellow flowers with dark purple disk
Whirling Butterflies Gaura lindheimeri 18 in 15 in   M-L Perennial; upright and wispy, large pink butterfly-like flowers
White Crane's-Bill Geranium richardsonii 1-2 ft 1 ft   M Perennial; pink-tinged white flowers bloom all summer
Little Sunflower Helianthella quinquenervis 2-4 ft     M-L Perennial; closely related and similar to true sunflowers
Richardson's Goldbush Hymenoxys richardsonii 2.5 ft 2.5 ft   L Perennial; many small yellow flowers in summer and fall
Goldflower Hymenoxys subintegra 2 ft 2 ft   L Perennial; wooly leaved with bright yellow “daisies”
Skyrocket Gilia Ipomopsis aggregata 12-30 in 12-18 in   L Biennial; scarlet-red trumpet-like flowers
Arizona Skyrocket Ipomopsis arizonica to 2 ft     L Biennial; native to the cinder hills northeast of Flagstaff
Blue Starflower Ipomopsis longiflora 2 ft 2 ft   L Annual; pale blue trumpet flowers and airy, green, thread-like foliage
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis 1-3 ft     M Perennial; stalks of showy pink to red tubular flowers
Yellow Monkey-Flower Mimulus guttatus 2 ft     H Perennial; bright green succulent stems and yellow flowers
Coyote Mint Monardella odoratissima 12-18 in     M-L Perennial; mound-shaped with a powerful minty smell
Missouri Evening Primrose Oenothera macrocarpa 6 in     M Perennial; low mounded, dark green, glossy leaves
Lambert's Locoweed Oxytropis lambertii 1 ft     L Perennial; silvery leaves, short spikes of red-purple flowers
'Elfin Pink' Penstemon Penstemon barbatus 12 in 15 in   M Penstemon; broad mat of glossy semi-evergreen foliage
Rydberg's Penstemon Penstemon rydbergii 1 ft     M Penstemon; tight spherical clusters of purple-blue tubular flowers
Wand Penstemon Penstemon virgatus 2.5 ft     M-L Penstemon; widely seem in Flagstaff
Whipple's Penstemon Penstemon whippleanus 2 ft     M Penstemon; dark purple to deep burgundy flowers
Littleleaf Mockorange Philadelphus microphyllus 3-6 ft 3 ft   M-L Shrub; fragrant, whimsical orange-scented flowers
Red Mountain Parsley Pseudocymopterus montanus 2 ft 2 ft   M-L Perennial; paprika red flowers in dense compound umbrels
Jacob's Ladder Polemonium foliosissimum 18-24 in 18 in   M Perennial; rosettes of finely divided, fern-like foliage
Silver Cinquefoil Potentilla hippiana 6-10 in     M-L Perennial; small yellow flowers all summer
Mountain Parsley Pseudocymopterus montanus 2 ft 2 ft   M-L Perennial; many yellow tiny flowers attract butterflies
Cut-Leaf Coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata 2.5 ft 4 ft<