May 8, 2026 - Things to Do
9 great perennials to plant in Colorado
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'Crazy Blue' Russian Sage. Photo: Courtesy of Colorado State University
If you — like many — struggle to keep your garden alive in Colorado's snow-in-May-but-not-in-January climate, we have a little advice from the experts on what to plant.
Why it matters: Between drought conditions and late frosts, it's not easy being a green thumb in Colorado.
State of play: The perennial plants listed below all earned the title of "top performers" after surviving three summers and two winters in a study conducted by Colorado State University.
Here's what the experts suggest planting:
- Honeycomb blue grama grass: "Great clump-forming grass grows about 24" tall and makes a statement as a mass planting. This grass is tidy, compact, and drought-tolerant."
- Crazy Blue Russian sage: "This sage lives up to its name—copious amounts of intense, crazy blue-purple flowers for several weeks adorn the stems!"
- Rock 'N Grow Midnight Velvet stonecrop: "By mid-summer, mauve-pink flower buds appear, giving way to rich rosy-red flowers – a pollinator favorite!"
- Salute Neon Pink meadow sage: "The stunning, prolific, rich neon-pink flowers borne on darker pink, almost mahogany spires caught the eyes of many [CSU] garden visitors."
- Luminary Prismatic Pink garden phlox: "This phlox showed no powdery mildew in our trials! The intense pink panicles were robust and held on strong stems."
- Dazzle Rocks sea lavender: "Drought-tolerant and adaptable to low-water inputs… long-lasting, rich purple color… deer and rabbit resistant… great cut flower… interesting texture and form from the inflorescences."
- Showmakers Blue Bayou aster: "This aster sports slightly larger inflorescences and flowers than many other asters on the market – a bit larger than the size of a quarter."
- Perma Frost Siberian bugloss: "It is quite drought-tolerant, making it an ideal candidate for a dry shade situation. Plus, it shows more heat tolerance."
- Blue Ribbons woodland phlox: "This is a great semi-shade plant that does well with morning sun and afternoon shade. It also can adapt to slightly drier soil conditions."
The bottom line: Pick native and water-wise plants to find garden success.