News Release
November 5, 2007

Landscaping Tips: Search the world for plants, but some gems exist in our own backyard

By Tom Heald, extension educator, University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service

Several years of intense drought in the state has been a blessing in disguise for the Wyoming gardener!

There is much renewed interest by the horticulture industry in discovering and bringing beautiful native and adapted plant materials to market that fit Wyoming conditions. One can literally buy plants that have been cultivated from the globe’s most extreme environments – from the high elevations of Chile, China, South America  and Afghanistan to the ancient ruins of Greece. 

But there is another extreme environment – Wyoming – where some outstanding plants are making their way to market. 

I had the chance to explore Wyoming’s rugged environment two years ago to investigate the state’s native trees and shrubs for their landscape potential, and what I found excites me.

Some might call them true Wyoming survivors; I prefer to call them beautiful ornamentals. Many people might not be familiar with these species. Here is but a taste.

Curl-leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius): Found throughout the foothill country of the Big Horn and other Wyoming mountains on limestone outcrops, this broad-leaf deciduous shrub is as rugged and long living as almost any plant in the world. Specimens found on the southern slopes of the Big Horns are estimated to be at least 2,000 years old or older.

The plant has an upright habit with dark green, leathery leaves with edges curling under – giving its name. Most winters, the leaves will stay green, which adds seasonal interest.

Once established, this plant may never need supplemental water again. It’s slow growing, but one can purchase 2-foot-tall plants, which should easily be 4- to 6-foot-tall within 10 years. It may take centuries for a mature height (8 to 20 feet) and width (6 to 10 feet) to be achieved.

Plant in full sun.

Bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum): This is one of the best-kept secrets in the horticulture industry. An outstanding native considered a small tree with up to five lobed, dark-green leaves turning shades of yellow, orange and red in the autumn. 

 

Ecologists have theorized this maple and the sugar maple of the northeastern United States are essentially the same tree but developed separately as ice ages came and went. It is found along Wyoming’s western edge.

 

Some call it “mountain maple,” but the great thing about this tree is it can tolerate the state’s mostly alkaline soils and survive periods of drought once established.

 

After establishment, an occasional deep watering is all that is needed to keep it looking great. A mature height (20 to 25 feet) and width (15 to 20 feet) can be achieved within 15 years if watered more frequently.

Plant in full sun to partial shade.

Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis): This large, deciduous shrub looks great. It is found in the high desert prairie of southern Wyoming, where the winds and elements are as severe as anyplace.

The leaves have a wooly, gray-green appearance, which is quite pleasing to the eye. In autumn, its color is a golden yellow. In spring, the whole plant is covered with a mass of white flowers followed by edible, bluish-black fruit in the summer. It’s a great windbreak specimen.

A mature height (6 to 12 feet) and width (6 to 8 feet) can be achieved within 15 years. An occasional deep watering after establishment is all that is needed.

Plant in full sun. 

Three-leaf sumac (Rhus trilobata): Also know as skunkbush sumac, this is a very rugged deciduous shrub found throughout Wyoming’s prairies and open, foothill slopes. The multiple stems have an oak-like leaf that turns a brilliant red to orange in autumn. 

This shrub basks in full sun, and wind is not an issue. It’s tolerant of most soils – except very wet ones; however, occasional deep watering will give you a much larger plant. A mature height (3 to 6 feet) and width (4 to 7 feet) can be achieved within 10 years.

Plant in full sun.

Rock spirea (Holodiscus dumosa): A compact shrub found in the crevices of rocks and gravelly soil in the mountain foothills.

            Beautiful white-to-pink flowers adorn the plant in June. In autumn, the flowers dry to a russet color, and the foliage turns reddish. When the leaves are crushed, they emit a provocative, spicy fragrance. It’s not picky about soil type except wet ones, and good drainage is absolutely necessary.

It grows to a height and width of 2 to 4 feet.

Plant in full sun.

If these plants interest you, see a local nursery representative. Persons with questions may contact their local University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service office (UW CES). Contact information is at http://ces.uwyo.edu/County_Areas.asp. They can also contact Heald at (307) 235-9400 or theald@natronacounty-wy.gov.

A number of free UW CES bulletins on trees, shrubs and horticulture can be found at http://ces.uwyo.edu/PUBS/Horticulture/Horticulture_Publications_Main.htm.

Contact: Robert Waggener, Editor
Phone: (307) 766-3571
E-mail: robertw@uwyo.edu

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