Regional Picks: Tough Roadside Plants – Mountain West

1. Woolly Veronica

Name:Veronica pectinata

USDA Hardiness Zones:2 to 7

Size:3 inches magniloquent and 8 inch all-encompassing

atmospheric condition : Full sun ; adaptable to many soil conditions

This ground - hugging , matlike perennial can take a beating and still seem not bad . With its volume of silvery leaves , woolly veronica can easily suffocate most weeds . Little violet - blue blooms with cheery snowy centers cover the plant midspring , then remain off and on throughout the season . Shear back the drop blooms to freshen its smell around midsummer . I also care to interplant this veronica with spring- and fall - blooming bulbs .

2. Himalayan Knotweed

Name:Persicaria affinisand cvs.

Zones:3 to 8

size of it : Up to 10 in tall and 2 foot wide

status : Full Sunday to partial ghost ; damp soil

A plant with four - season interest , Himalayan knotweed is a tough ground natural covering with whimsical racemes of tiny , whitish pink flowers , which uprise 4 to 6 inches above the red - tinged stems and morose green leaves . In winter , the foliation turns cinnamon red — a beautiful contrast against a fresh dusting of snow . Mow or smoke - whang plants in midsummer to encourage fresh leafage . ‘ Dimity ’ ( pictured ) is a popular cultivar with rose - colored bloom of youth .

3. Lydia Woadwaxen

Name:Genista Lydia

Zones:6 to 9

Size:2 feet tall and 3 to 4 foot wide

Conditions : Full Dominicus ; well - drained soil

This suffrutex bursts into sunshine yellow blooms that smother the works in recent spring . implant it en masse or against anything purple to make a bold statement . Lydia dyeweed can take the red-hot , exposed conditions that are the hallmark of many roadway in the Mountain West , though I ’ve found an surplus squirt from the hosepipe is needed intermittently to keep it happy .

4. Small-Leaf Pussy-Toes

Name:Antennaria parvifolia

Zones:2 to 8

Size:4 to 6 inch tall and 1 human foot wide

condition : Full sun to fond shade ; well - run out soil

Reminiscent of the toe pad on a cat ’s paw , the bead - comparable blooms of little - folio pussy - toe task 4 to 6 inches above a gray - green mat of leaves . While it can manage light foot dealings , you might want to bring home the bacon stepping - Stone in busier localization , such as curbsides . If you do n’t want the flora to fan out , trim back the come heads before they break open into a heap of white fuzz ; otherwise , enjoy the spectacle come fall as they blow along on a easy breeze .

Lise Mahnke is a landscape designer and editor of the web log Dry Ideas in Denver , Colorado .

pic : ( 1 ) , good manners of www.highcountrygardens.com ; ( 2 ) , Kerry Ann Moore ; ( 3 ) , courtesy of www.provenwinners.com ; ( 4 ) , courtesy of Sally and Andy Wasowski

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Regional Picks: Tough Roadside Plants - Northeast

Regional Picks: Tough Roadside Plants - Southeast

Regional Picks: Tough Roadside Plants - Midwest

Regional Picks: Tough Roadside Plants—Southwest

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