New Booklet Highlights Garden and Landscape Plants Native to Region

Regionally native plants that mix attitude and altitude with beauty are showcased in a new publication from the University of Wyoming.

“Plants with Altitude: Regionally Native Plants for Wyoming Gardens,” B-1255, provides physical descriptions and unique characteristics of more than 50 perennials in addition to water need, sun exposure, native ranges, plant family, and height and width. When applicable, icons denote animal resistance and pollinator attraction.

“The plants were chosen by the authors,” says Jennifer Thompson, UW Extension educator and one of the writers. “They are regionally native plants that are attractive, relatively easy to get a hold of and that have performed well in our gardens, which are in challenging environments.”

A limited supply of booklets is available across the state at local UW Extension, conservation district, and weed and pest control district offices. 

They also can be purchased for $5 at the UW Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center, at 10th and Lewis streets, in Laramie. Free downloads from UW Extension are available by going to www.uwyo.edu/ces and clicking “Publications” on the left-hand side, enter “B-1255” and follow the prompts. Hard copies can be purchased for $5 plus $3 shipping and handling. Click “Request Copy.”

Collaborators are the UW Biodiversity Institute, UW Extension, the Laramie Garden Club, and Barnyards and Backyards: Rural Living in Wyoming.

Thompson had bounced around the idea of a regionally native booklet for some time. She had grown regionally native plants in her gardens and landscapes -- especially those that required few inputs, including water.

Thompson found others interested in such plants who were willing to write descriptions and whose organizations were able to contribute financially or with people power.

Those include Dorothy Tuthill, botanist and associate director, and Brenna Marsicek, project coordinator, both of the UW Biodiversity Institute, and Amy Fluet of the Laramie Garden Club.

The UW Biodiversity Institute created a booklet companion website at http://wyomingnativegardens.org.

Many of the plants are now in the horticultural trade and are at quality local and regional nurseries or online, Thompson says. 

“Others are not particularly hard to start from seed, and we have provided some key instructions in the guide on how to do so,” she said.