It
is February and I am watching the elk cruise through my back yard looking for
native grasses to munch on. As I sit
here on this beautiful sunny day, I am imagining and planning my new rock
garden.
Why a Rock Garden?
·
I
live at 7500 feet and I have sandy and gravely soil that isn’t nutrient
dense.
·
I
can plant native plants that feed the wildlife in my area, are low water and
low maintenance,
·
I
don’t have to truck in loads of soil just to get started.
·
I
have free rocks on my property and they are harmonious with my house and
neighborhood.
·
It
offers great protection for all the small mammals, birds, and pollinators that
live in the area.
·
Those
same rocks help create miniature warm environments to help me grow plants that
may not thrive without a rock to warm them up.
·
I
love the juxtaposition of living and non-living things working together to make
my yard beautiful!
Since
I choose a garden that the animals can roam in, I also want to choose plants
that they can use. Native plants
definitely fit my criteria including the Sulfur-flower
buckwheat plant.
Why Eriogonum
umbellatum, Sulfur-flower buckwheat
·
According
to the USDA Plant Fact Sheet on Eriogonum umbellatum “its
seeds are important food source for many species of birds and small mammals.
Quail, sage grouse, deer and mountain sheep eat the leaves, and insects found
on the plants are an important food source for sage grouse chicks.”
·
Also
according to the USDA Plant Fact Sheet: “Sulfur-flower
buckwheat attracts a wide variety of bees and other native pollinators. “
·
It
performs best in dry open and rocky
sites and likes sandy gravely soils with low fertility.
·
It
is relatively free of pest and disease.
·
Its
beautiful umbel flower head has four-season color (changing from bright yellow
in spring to orange-red in the fall) and it
is long blooming from June through October.
·
It can withstand
sun, heat, drought, and wind.
·
You
can start it from seed or find it in a
nursery depending on your patience level.
E. u. aureum, Kannah Creek sulphur buckwheat is a seed grown selection
from Colorado.
·
Lastly, It is a
native plant and you don’t have to worry about it being invasive!
If you are interested in more information
on rock garden natives or Eriogonum umbellatum please check out the following
sites:
http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/pubs/NativePlants.html:
More references on Colorado native plants
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