Seven Secrets to a Great Landscape and Garden in Wyoming

There are many challenges to gardening in Wyoming. We will talk about the problems, and then discuss some great solutions.

After reading this report, please search our website to find plants that will be appropriate for your landscape and garden.

The common response from Wyoming gardeners is “I can’t get anything to grow”. Well, it really it is not your fault. You have been presented with plants that were never intended to live up to Wyoming’s harsh expectations.

The big box store chains really don’t think a lot about the conditions of Wyoming. The plants they offer are ideally suited for Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland – not Wyoming.

Let’s discuss the problems:

In Minneapolis, Chicago and Cleveland:

1. Precipitation: They receive 40 inches of precipitation annually

2. Humidity: They have 60-70% relative humidity

3. Soils: They have deep, rich soils

4. Sun Intensity: The sun’s strength is relatively low

5. Wind: A high wind event in Minneapolis is 25 mph

By contrast, in Wyoming:

1. Precipitation: We receive only 9 to 12 inches of precipitation annually

2. Humidity: We have only 10% relative humidity

3. Soils: We have very sandy soils with little organic matter

4. Sun Intensity: Our sun strength is very high

5. Wind: We routinely have winds over 25 miles per hour

Do those plants from the big box stores really want to live in Wyoming?

6. Let’s also talk about cold.

Of course it gets cold in Minneapolis and Cleveland, and we get cold weather here, too. But they don’t get the erratic and sudden climatic changes beginning in September and extending through April. Think of the snowstorms we experienced this April.

When you look at plants that are suited for cold locations, they have a common denominator - the ability to withstand wild temperature fluctuations. Their ability to adapt to those conditions make them prime candidates for Wyoming gardens and landscapes.

Let’s now talk about water.

We know that you love Wyoming, and recognize that we live in a beautiful place with challenging conditions.

A big concern in Wyoming is: what is our water usage footprint here? Does it make sense to try to re-create the water-intensive Cape Cod experience here?

The average homeowner in Natrona County applies more than 3 feet of water to their landscape every year.  70% of all water used in your home goes to supporting the landscape. You can take all the hot baths you want; it doesn’t match what we provide for our plants. As communities grow, water treatment plants are being built to support not the basic human needs, but the idea that most of it will go to your landscape.

During the drought years of 2000-2008, we saw a precipitous decline in the health and vigor of our landscapes. Across the board.

Las Vegas odds: 60% of the time Wyoming is in a drought. Why bet against the house? And you have to consider the fact that water restrictions may be imposed, and rural properties may have limited availability. Plus, the water quality of well water may be poor for plants. It’s a house of cards.

7. Soils – Acidic vs. Alkaline

National chains typically select plants for being appropriate for a location based on cold tolerance. The fact is that most of the big box stores’ customers live in the east coast and Midwest, with soils that are neutral to acidic. In Wyoming our soils are not acidic. They are alkaline. Those plants from the national chains often don’t have alkaline tolerance.

Let’s use a fruit bearing plant as an example:

Blueberry plants are very cold hardy but they must have a soil PH of 6 or lower. Wyoming has on average a soil PH 8. They will die in Wyoming.

So what’s the solution?

Raspberry plants are better choice for fruit bearing plant and it is a Wyoming native. Raspberries perform admirably in alkaline soils. So, if you make the far more appropriate choice of Raspberries instead of Blueberries, your odds of being successful go way up.

Now let’s discuss more solutions: What are the characteristics of plants that do well in Wyoming?

Color

Silver blue green is the most efficient color in the plant kingdom at dissipating heat. Put those types of plants in the hottest part of your landscape with most heat and reflective heat. For example, Sagebrush has this exact color, and that is why it does so well here. There are also many other plants that have adapted this color.

Plants that are native to regions with intense sunlight often have high color intensity. So you do not have to sacrifice color for survivability – a lot of very appropriate plants, such as Penstemons, are spectacularly beautiful.

Waxy and Hairy Leaves

Thick waxy leaves do not transpire much water, and are good for Wyoming conditions where things are very dry. That is a plant adaptation to conserve water.

Dense hairy leaves are another plant adaptation to diffuse sunlight and insulate the leaves from the drying effect of wind. These plants are good for very sunny, windy conditions.

Drought Tolerance

Many plants are adapted to low water and erratic rainfall. They are referred to as “Xeric”.

Large Taproots

Large taproots can mine water deeper in the soil profile. This is helpful for long-term water situations.

Isn’t it time to re-think your plant selections, and would you find it better to start looking for plants that have evolved under similar conditions found in Wyoming? Once you turn your thinking to that, you will find an extraordinary array of plant materials that really do want to live in your landscape. This can dramatically increase your success in your gardening efforts.

It’s in your best interest to take a moment and look for plants for your landscape that really want to live here.

The bottom line is:

Some plants are native to Wyoming and have thrived here for thousands of years. Some other plants have been extensively tested in Wyoming and have been proven to do very well here. There are also plants that originated in other locations, like Mongolia and the Russian steppe that meet these same conditions, and those plants are now available for your landscape.

So the Seven Secrets are to choose plants that are adapted to:

1. Low precipitation and do not require extensive watering
2. Low humidity
3. Sandy soils with little organic material
4. Tolerate high levels of sunlight
5. Tolerate high wind
6. Tolerate extremes of cold and hot temperatures
7. Tolerate alkaline soils

Taking these factors into consideration, and making appropriate choices when you choose your landscape and garden plants, will really help you be a more successful gardener. Your landscape will thank you!

Search the plant categories in our website to find plants that match the criteria discussed in this report.

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