Welcome to the Nature Library’s gardens! We’re excited to accompany you on your journey across our nine specialty gardens. Click on the garden that interests you or scroll down to start exploring.

Stop #1 - Rocky Mountain Garden

Get a taste of the native and adapted species that thrive in high-elevation climates in Colorado and beyond, where intense sun, variable moisture and poor soils are common. Together, these plants create a dynamic and ecologically meaningful landscape that supports pollinators while expressing the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountain environment.

Tree

Rocky Mountain Juniper

Bloom Window

Evergreen

Fun Fact

This tree’s berries aren’t actual berries, rather modified cones, which are used to flavor gin.

Indigenous Use

The Ute and Plains tribes have traditionally used these false “berries” in ceremonial purification and medicinal teas.

Tree

Hoopsii Spruce

Bloom Window

Evergreen

Fun Fact

Despite the species being native to the Rocky Mountains, the “Hoopsii” variety was actually developed in Germany in the 1950s.

Indigenous Use

The Ute and other tribes used the spruce for medicinal purposes and crafts.

Evergreen Shrub

Bluestem Joint Fir

Bloom Window

Evergreen

Fun Fact

This alpine shrub has one of the oldest plant lineages, dating back over 250 million years.

Indigenous Use

It has also been used by tribes, like the Ute, for brewing tea to treat colds and fatigues.

Perennial

Rocky Mountain Penstemon

Bloom Window

Mid spring – early summer

Fun Fact

Its tubular flowers are perfectly shaped for hummingbird pollination.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Kobold Gayfeather

Bloom Window

Summer

Fun Fact

This flower’s bright magenta flowers are highly attractive to native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Snow in Summer

Bloom Window

Early – mid summer

Fun Fact

Snow in Summer’s silvery leaves help reflect sunlight and conserve water.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Denver Gold Columbine

Bloom Window

Mid spring – early fall

Fun Fact

The plant’s long nectar spurs evolved specifically for pollination by hawk moths.

Indigenous Use

It was used by various tribes for medicinal applications, including heart and digestive remedies.

Perennial

Butterfly Milkweed

Bloom Window

Late spring – early fall

Fun Fact

Unlike most milkweeds, it has clear sap instead of milky latex.

Indigenous Use

Butterfly Milkweed is used by multiple tribes, including Lakota, for respiratory treatments. It’s sometimes called “pleurisy root.”
Back to Top

Stop #2 - Sensory Garden

Lean in and take a whiff or reach out and touch! This garden invites you to engage your senses through movement, color, fragrance and texture.

Plants like Pink Muhly Grass and Red Hot Poker provide striking visual interest and dynamic form, while English Lavender offers a calming fragrance and Lamb’s Ear invites touch with its soft, velvety foliage. Together, this collection creates an immersive, interactive landscape that encourages visitors to slow down and experience the garden in a more personal and tactile way. 

Grass

Pink Muhly Grass

Bloom Window

Late summer – late fall

Fun Fact

Muhly Grass is a “clumper,” meaning it does not spread via runners, and its hollow stems provide crucial over-wintering habitat for native insects.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Red Hot Poker

Bloom Window

Early summer – early fall

Fun Fact

The tubular flowers on the spike open from the bottom up, changing from red to yellow as they mature, giving them a colorful gradient.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

English Lavender

Bloom Window

Late spring – late summer

Fun Fact

Lavender’s scent has been used for centuries to promote relaxation and sleep.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Lamb's Ear

Bloom Window

Early – mid summer

Fun Fact

Due to its soft, fluffy texture, hikers often use Lamb’s Ear leaves as a disposable, soft toilet paper substitute.

Indigenous Use

Stop #3 - Desert Garden

If you’re visiting our desert garden on a hot day, you can these plants will be very happy. This garden showcases a bold collection of drought-tolerant species adapted to arid climates, where water conservation and temperature extremes shape plant form and function.

Sculptural plants like cacti, yucca and agave provide strong architectural presence, while flowering species, such as Penstemon and Sedum, introduce seasonal color and softness. Together, this garden creates a striking, low-water landscape that reflects the resilience and beauty of desert ecosystems. 

Cacti

Soapweed

Bloom Window

Early – late summer

Fun Fact

The soapweed is pollinated exclusively by the yucca moth in a mutual relationship.

Indigenous Use

It was used by many Plains and Southwest tribes for soap, fiber, rope and shampoo.

Succulent

Artichoke Agave

Bloom Window

Summer

Fun Fact

This plant spends 10 to 20 years growing quietly before finally sending up a massive, 10 to 20-foot flower stalk topped with bright yellow blossoms. After this spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime bloom, the mother plant dies.

Indigenous Use

Cacti

Spinystar

Bloom Window

Late spring – early summer

Fun Fact

During winters, its stem contracts, sinking into the soil to protect itself from the extreme cold.

Indigenous Use

Cacti

Plains Prickly Pear

Bloom Window

Late spring – early summer

Fun Fact

Indigenous Use

The Prickly Pear’s fruit and pads are used for food and medicinal purposes by many tribes.

Perennial

Red Rocks Penstemon

Bloom Window

Late spring – mid summer

Fun Fact

Red Rocks Penstemon is named after Denver’s famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It features a sterile, hairy stamen that sticks out of the flower, which is why the entire Penstemon genus is nicknamed the “Beardtongue.”

Indigenous Use

Succulent

Orange Stonecrop

Bloom Window

Early – mid summer

Fun Fact

Their flowers begin yellow, then age into a vibrant pink-orange, with foliage that turns bronze in winter.

Indigenous Use

Stop #4 - Pollinator Garden

Listen to the bees buzzing and watch as butterflies and hummingbirds pay a visit to the flowers here. This garden is a vibrant, water-wise landscape designed to support beneficial insects throughout the growing season.

By combining hardy native and adapted flowering plants with varied bloom times, these gardens provide nectar, pollen, habitat, and seasonal color while thriving in Colorado’s sunny, semi-arid climate. Pollinator gardens also create opportunities for education, ecological stewardship and quiet observation of local wildlife for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Perennial

Apache Sunset Threadleaf Hyssop

Bloom Window

Summer – early fall

Fun Fact

Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are drawn to the intense color and sweet nectar of the Apache Sunset.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Lesser Knotweed

Bloom Window

Mid summer – mid fall.

Fun Fact

This plant produces graceful sprays of tiny, bell-shaped, powder-pink flowers. It also features highly distinct leaves with deep, velvety, herringbone-pattern grooves on the top and white, felt-like hairs on the underside.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Purple Poppy-mallow

Bloom Window

Early – mid summer

Fun Fact

This flower belongs to the plant genus Callirhoe, which is named after a mythological Greek daughter of the river god Achelous.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Russian Sage

Bloom Window

Mid summer – early fall

Fun Fact

In some cultures, Russian sage is used in traditional medicine for treating fever, stomach pain and infections.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Black Knight Butterfly Bush

Bloom Window

Late summer – early fall

Fun Fact

This shrub is known for its fragrant, deep purple flower spikes.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Turkish Veronica

Bloom Window

Mid – late spring

Fun Fact

This ground cover plant produces cobalt blue blowers from April to June.

Indigenous Use

Stop #5 - Colorado Native Garden

Join us as we celebrate the hardly, regionally adapted species in our own backyard! The Colorado Native Garden offers a blend of drought tolerance, seasonal interest and habitat value that reflects the natural character and ecological richness of the Front Range and Great Plains. 

Featuring plants like Dwarf Blue Rabbitbrush, Wild Mockorange, Big Bluestem, New Vintage White Yarrow, and Little Lemon Goldenrod, this garden offers a blend of drought tolerance, seasonal interest and habitat value. Together, these species support pollinators and wildlife while creating a resilient, low-water landscape rooted in Colorado’s native plant communities. 

Grasses

Big Bluestem

Bloom Window

Late summer – late fall

Fun Fact

This grass can grow roots over 10 feet deep.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

New Vintage White Yarrow

Bloom Window

Early spring – early fall

Fun Fact

This plant’s Latin genus name (Achillea) takes its name from Achilles, who supposedly used it to treat wounds.

Indigenous Use

Yarrow plants were widely used across many tribes for wound care, teas and ceremonial purposes.

Shrub

Dwarf Blue Rabbitbrush

Bloom Window

Late summer – fall

Fun Fact

While most garden flowers fade by mid-summer, this tough plant doesn’t bloom until September or October. It provides a critical food source for migrating butterflies and late-flying bees right before winter.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Wild Mock Orange

Bloom Window

Late spring – mid summer

Fun Fact

This plant’s botanical name, Philadelphus lewisii, honors Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Little Lemon Goldenrod

Bloom Window

Late summer – late fall

Fun Fact

Goldenrod is often blamed for allergies, but it’s actually insect-pollinated, not windborne.

Indigenous Use

Stop #6 - Prairie Garden

We invite you to reflect with us on the open, wind-swept landscapes of the Great Plains, characterized by hardy grasses, drought-tolerant shrubs and vibrant wildflowers.

Species like Fringed Sage, Big Sagebrush and Yucca provide a foundation of texture and resilience, while Yellow Prairie Coneflower adds seasonal color and pollinator interest. Together, these plants create a durable, low-maintenance landscape that captures the movement, ecology and subtle beauty of native prairie systems. 

Cacti

Soapweed

Bloom Window

Early – late summer

Fun Fact

The soapweed is pollinated exclusively by the yucca moth in a mutual relationship.

Indigenous Use

It was used by many Plains and Southwest tribes for soap, fiber, rope and shampoo.

Shrub

Fringed Sage

Bloom Window

Late summer – early fall

Fun Fact

Indigenous Use

The Blackfoot people historically used its crushed leaves to symbolically “revive” gophers during a traditional game. The plant itself was extremely important to several Plains tribes for smudging, purification and medicine.

Shrub

Big Sagebrush

Bloom Window

Late summer – early fall

Fun Fact

When damaged by grazers, sagebrush releases volatile organic compounds into the air, signaling nearby plants to ramp up their own chemical defenses.

Indigenous Use

Grass

Overdam Feather Reed

Bloom Window

Mid summer

Fun Fact

In mid-summer, the grass sends up feathery, purplish-pink flower spikes that contrast beautifully with the white-striped foliage. As summer turns to fall, these plumes mature into striking golden-tan seed heads.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Yellow Prairie Coneflower

Bloom Window

Late spring – early fall

Fun Fact

The plant’s tall central cone gives it the nickname “Mexican hat.”

Indigenous Use

Stop #7 - Ornamental Grass Garden

Welcome to a garden that’s beautiful year-round with grasses that respond beautifully to seasonal changes.  Varieties like Red October Big Bluestem, Shenandoah Switch Grass, and Indian Grass offer warm autumn tones, while Blonde Ambition Blue Grama, Korean Feather Reed Grass, and Big Sacaton introduce unique seed heads and soft, flowing forms. Together, these grasses create a resilient, low-maintenance planting that captures light, enhances visual interest year-round.

Grass

Red October Big Bluestem

Bloom Window

Mid summer – late fall

Fun Fact

Its seed heads resemble a turkey’s toes and are a favorite for floral arrangements.

Indigenous Use

This plant was used by Plains tribes for thatching, bedding and, sometimes, ceremonial use.

Grass

Blonde Ambition Blue Grama

Bloom Window

Mid – late summer

Fun Fact

Blonde Ambition Blue Grama’s horizontal seed heads resemble tiny flags or eyelashes.

Indigenous Use

Grass

Korean Feather Reed Grass

Bloom Window

Mid summer – late fall

Fun Fact

This grass produces soft, feathery plumes that glow in the backlight.

Indigenous Use

Grass

Shenandoah Switch Grass

Bloom Window

Mid summer – early winter

Fun Fact

This plant’s foliage begins bluish-green in spring, turning red by June and deep burgundy in autumn.

Indigenous Use

Grass

Indian Grass

Bloom Window

Late summer – early fall

Fun Fact

This grass is highly adapted to fire, thriving in ecosystems that experience frequent burning and often forming nearly pure stands in lowlands.

Indigenous Use

Grass

Big Sacaton

Bloom Window

Mid summer – late fall

Fun Fact

This plant acts as a keystone species in southwestern arid environments by stabilizing flood plains, riverbanks and reclaiming alkaline or saline soils.

Indigenous Use

Stop #8 - Seasonal Interest Garden

Thanks for stopping by our Seasonal Interest Garden, which provides year-round visual appeal through a diverse mix of flowering trees, shrubs and perennials.

Depending on the season, you can find all these plants blooming. From the early blooms of Spring Snow Crabapple and Pink Flowering Almond to the vibrant fall color of Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry and the winter interest of Red Twig Dogwood, the garden evolves with each season. Complemented by long-blooming perennials like Black-eyed Susan and Russian Sage, this palette creates a dynamic and ever-changing landscape experience. 

Shrub

Pink Flowering Almond

Bloom Window

Mid – late spring

Fun Fact

In many cultures, plum blossoms represent perseverance, hope and beauty.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Russian Sage

Bloom Window

Mid summer – early fall

Fun Fact

In some cultures, Russian sage is used in traditional medicine for treating fever, stomach pain and infections.

Indigenous Use

Tree

Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry

Bloom Window

Mid – late spring

Fun Fact

This tree’s berries ripen in June, not autumn, earning it the nickname “Juneberry.” They taste similar to blueberries with a hint of almond and are fantastic in pies or jams.

Indigenous Use

This plant is an important food source for Plains tribes. Its berries are used as an ingredient in pemmican, a calorie-rich mixture of tallow, dried meat and dried berries.

Tree

Spring Snow Crabapple

Bloom Window

Mid spring

Fun Fact

This crabapple tree’s name comes from the way its white petals fall after blooming, creating a snow-like covering on the ground.

Indigenous Use

Tree

Japanese Tree Lilac

Bloom Window

Late spring – early summer

Fun Fact

Unlike common lilacs that bloom in spring, this species blooms in late June, and gives off an intense, privet-like scent.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Dwarf False Indigo

Bloom Window

Early – mid summer

Fun Fact

This plant’s genus name Amorpha comes from the Greek word meaning deformed or shapeless, because their flowers only have one petal instead of the typical five.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Red Twig Dogwood

Bloom Window

Late spring – mid fall

Fun Fact

The bright red stems of this plant stand out vividly in winter landscapes, creating a dramatic contrast.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Black-eyed Susan

Bloom Window

Mid spring – mid summer

Fun Fact

The species name (amplexicaulis) is derived from Latin, meaning “encircling the stem.” The leaves are oblong and heart-shaped at the base, directly wrapping around the stem.

Indigenous Use

The Black-eyed Susan is used by some tribes for cold remedies and immune support.

Stop #9 - Shade Garden

Just like us on a sunny day, these plants love the shade! The Shade Garden brings together a refined mix of plants that thrive in lower light conditions, offering rich texture, subtle color and seasonal variation.

Species like Common White Snowberry and Jack Frost Cultivar provide structure and soft blooms, while Lady’s Mantle, Snow Angel Coral Bells, and Palace Purple Coralbells contribute layered foliage and delicate detail. Together, these plants create an inviting landscape that emphasizes foliage contrast and quiet beauty in shaded environments.

Perennial

Lady's Mantle

Bloom Window

Early – mid summer

Fun Fact

The dew from Lady’s Mantle was once considered to be the purest water and used in ancient times for medicinal purposes, often to relieve ailments.

Indigenous Use

Shrub

Common White Snowberry

Bloom Window

Early – late summer

Fun Fact

Snowberry’s white berries persist into the winter and help feed birds.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Jack Frost Cultivar

Bloom Window

Early – mid spring

Fun Fact

‘Jack Frost’ Siberian Bugloss may look frosted with ice, but its textured, fuzzy leaves are tough enough to send deer, rabbits, slugs, and snails looking elsewhere.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Snow Angel Coral Bells

Bloom Window

Mid – late spring

Fun Fact

The color variations on the plant’s leaves is caused by a lack of chlorophyll in certain tissue areas, appearing as white, yellow or cream-colored patterns.

Indigenous Use

Perennial

Palace Purple Coral Bells

Bloom Window

Late spring – early summer

Fun Fact

Despite its delicate, airy white flowers that bloom in summer to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, it is an incredibly resilient plant that is highly resistant to deer.

Indigenous Use
Go to Anythink Home
Scroll to Top