Alida Netted iris  is a low growing bulbous iris that has light purplish blue translucent blooms in late March to early April.  Narrow grass-like leaves poke out of the ground first, followed by flowers that last about a week up here at the Courage Garden.  The leaves remain after the flower is gone and then disappear completely, waiting to reappear next spring.

Sedum selskianum  grows in a mound form.  The leaves start out dark green in the spring.  In June the plant is covered with bright yellow star shaped flowers.  In the fall the leaves gradually turn from dark green to a beautiful red fall color.

The Apache plume has a wild look about it, especially when left unattended.  You’ll see this Colorado native in the San Luis and Arkansas Valley and for sale at the local garden centers.  The flowers are bright white and then turn into pinkish puffy seed heads.  The leaves are very small and cover the stems from bottom to top .  Several specimens were planted on the grounds before this area was designated the Courage Garden in 1995.  We enjoy this shrub so much we planted another specimen in the summer of 2012.  Today you can see the young and the old Apache plume.

This  is a groundcover with red tinged dark green leaves and little  bright blue flowers  in May and June.  The foliage remains attractive during the rest of the growing season.  This member of the mint family does not have fragrant foliage.  This plant spreads by runners that root at the nodes.  Why is this plant important in your garden?  The flower nectar is food for ladybugs, green lacewings and other natural enemies of plant pests, such as aphids.

This plant is all about the leaves.  The leaves are red in the spring, taupe in the summer and ruby red in the fall.  It grows in a rounded clump form.

This plant has a mounded growth habit with dusty grey foliage and a spectacular display of  little yellow flowers in May.

Bearded iris grow from tan colored rhizomes and are available in assorted colors.  Each flower stalk rises above sword shaped leaves and has three upright petals (standards) and three hanging sepals (falls) with a fuzzy middle line (beard).

A clump forming perennial with a long summer bloom period, light pink/lavender color flowers and minty scented leaves . We do not know the cultivars growing up here.  The Bee Balm in the Children’s garden is a very light “baby” pink while the Bee Balm in the Columbine garden is dark pinkish purple.  Bee Balm is a native plant distributed throughout the U.S.except CA and FL and other common names are Wild Bergamot and Horsemint (even though horses do not prefer Bee Balm but cattle and wildlife will browse the plant).

A small growing compact perennial with deep orange 1″ flowers that resemble a single rose and dark green lance shaped foliage. The 5 petaled rose like flowers bloom for up to 2 months and are  available in a variety of colors.  Each flower opens for one day and closes up in cloudy weather.  When the bloom is over the lance shaped foliage stays evergreen for the rest of the season and makes a good ground cover.

Blanket flower has large, showy flower heads that are held just above the foliage and is available in several color variations of yellow/red ray flowers.   It spreads by seed.  Goblin is a cultivar that stays compact for the front of the border.  The native Blanket flower usually has pure yellow ray flowers.  Some people may develop dermatitis when in contact with the foliage.

This is a warm season clump form grass that stays small.  The grass spikes start out bright green and then the leaves gradually change to pinkish-orange and then turn a reddish rusty color for the fall.  In late summer, erect flower spikes rise above the leaves that turn a brownish red color for great fall color.

This is a large aromatic hyssop with numerous pinkish purple tall flower spikes that attract pollinators galore.  It is amazing to watch the hummingbirds, butterflies and bees all clamoring for the nectar.  This is a hybrid of Desert Sunrise and Blue Fortune hyssop.  You can see the bottle brush type flower spike of  Blue Fortune and the tubular type flowers of Desert Sunrise combined on this one plant.  This hybrid was developed by Kelly Grummons, owner of Timberline Gardens in Arvada.

Blue fescue is a cool season ornamental grass that blooms in late spring to early summer.  It  has a mounded growing habit and looks its best in the spring and fall.  The blades range in color from blue-green to blue-gray.

Linum perenne features sky blue flowers with 5 petals that open early for one day on top of tall, dark green skinny stems.  It does spread.  This plant just showed up one day, lucky us.

The numerous tall spikes of lavender blue flowers attract butterflies and bees.  The large green leaves have an anise fragrance and silver undersides.

Blue grama was designated the state grass of Colorado on May 20, 1987.  It is a warm season bunch grass of the short grass prairie.  The bloom looks like a tiny comb attached at a right angle to the top of the stem which curls  into an eyelash shape as it dries and matures .  It is a host plant for many satyr and skipper butterflies.

Sometimes listed as Sedum rupestre.  This succulent mat forming evergreen sedum has upright stems with greyish blue leaves that resemble spruce needles.  Yellow star shaped flowers rise about 6 inches above the foliage on leafy, woody stems.  The flower nectar is food for ladybugs, green lacewings and other beneficial insects.

Give this Evergreen shrub lots of room to spread (see size).  The bluish gray-green stems of this shrub are jointed, grow upright and retain year round attractiveness.  The yellow pollen and seed cones produced in the spring are barely noticeable.   If the shrub is female, the seed cones will mature to about 1/3″ diameter bright red fleshy cones that are consumed by birds.

The Japanese painted fern was named 2004 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association.  New leaves of the Burgundy Lace cultivar emerge purple with silver stripes along each vein and the frond tips.  Older leaves transform into a contrasting silvery green with purple mid-ribs.  It makes a nice companion plant to other shade loving plants, such as coral bells, bleeding heart, astilbe and hosta.  The foliage is vibrant from early spring until frost when it will go dormant.

This long blooming perennial was named 2000 Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association.   The 12″-15″ slender flower stems rise above gray-green basal foliage and bear two inch lavender blue flowers.  The nectar rich flowers attract honey bees and butterflies.  Pink Mist is the pink version of this flower.

Daffodils are split into 13 divisions.  Butterfly daffodil is in Division 11b, Split Corona Papillon and blooms in Mid Spring, usually late April.  The white and yellow flowers  in this assortment have orange ruffled cups.

Tulips are classified into 15 groups  Calypso tulip is a species tulip, Greigii group.  Each bulb of the greigii group has 2-7  wide, lance shaped, grey green leaves with reddish or dark purple stripes.  Calypso has large coral/apricot colored blooms.  This bulb will naturalize (spread).

This Columbine is native to eastern North America.  It has a  nodding flower head with orangish-red and yellow flowers  and bushy yellow stamens.  Other common names are Wild Columbine and  American Columbine.

Cantab netted iris  is a low growing bulbous iris that has light blue translucent blooms in late March to early April.  Narrow grass-like leaves poke out of the ground first, followed by flowers that last about a week up here at the Courage Garden.  The leaves remain after the flower is gone and then disappear completely, waiting to reappear next spring.

Chanticleer callery pear  is 1) an upright pyramidal shaped tree with low to medium water needs and a moderate growth rate, 2) has branch structure that is able to withstand ice and wind damage better than the Bradford pear and 3) can be snow-load damaged due to holding its leaves so late (into November). In spring, the tree is covered with 1″ white blossoms followed by olive colored pea-sized inedible fruits.  The leaves turn a dark red-purple for beautiful fall color.  This tree is recommended for planting along the Front Range area by a coalition of Colorado tree experts.

Clary sage is a biennial (often lives longer than 2 years and spreads through seeding new plants).  Honeybees love Clary sage.  The purple blooms are held on 3′ stalks that rise above the basal rosette of leaves.  The leaves are very strong scented and some people say it creates a scent hedge to deter rabbits.

This is Colorado’s state flower.  The large, 3″  white and lavender flowers face upward.  Botanist Edwin James identified this flower while on the 1820 Long Expedition that explored Pikes Peak.  The native Columbine grows in the Foothill and Montane life zones of Colorado.  It is an important nectar plant for hummingbirds, butterflies, hawkmoths, native bees and bumblebees.  This is a short lived perennial, about 3-5 years.

Colorado spruce, also called Colorado Blue Spruce is Colorado’s state tree.    It was identified by botanist C.C. Parry on Pikes Peak in 1862.   The native habitat is the Foothills and Montane life zone.   The tree shape is pyramidal/spire-like,  the short, sharp and stiff needles are green to blue-gray single and grow in a spiral pattern around the stem.  The cones are golden brown, 2″-4″ long with papery scales and feel spongy when squeezed.

Common mullein is on the Colorado Noxious Weed List C and is found at elevations from 4,500 to 9,000 ft. on sunny, disturbed sites, including prairie dog colonies.  It was first noted as a common weed in Boulder in 1905.  It is a biennial.  Rosettes of  leaves covered with fine hairs are produced in the first year.  The second year produces a single stout stem and wooly leaves and flowers.  An adult mullein can produce 100,000 – 180,000 seeds.  The seeds may last more than 80 years.  List C plants are selected for control methods.

Very early spring blooming low growing perennial from bulbs.  The sword shaped leaves are mid-green on top and reddish brown underneath which matches the color of the stem.  Each stem will bear one to 4 star-like upward facing flowers in either white, violet-blue or pink and have white centers.  This bulb will spread by bulb offsets and self seeding.

Tulips are classified into 15 groups  Persian Pearl tulip is a species tulip, Miscellaneous group, humilis species.  Each bulb of the Miscellaneous group has 2-5  linear, channeled, gray-green leaves to 6 inches long.  The dark magenta colored flowers are star shaped wide with a bright yellow center.  This bulb will naturalize (spread).

Daffodils are split into 13 divisions.  Spellbinder is in Division 1, Trumpet daffodils and flowers early to mid-spring.  The cup (corona) is described as a trumpet and is as long or longer than the petals (perianth) segments.   The flowers are greenish yellow and the trumpet gradually fades to white with whitish green at the mouth.