Main Street Xeric Gardens

Buena Vista Curbside Xeric Gardens
a Project of Buena Vista Beautification Advisory Board

The 11 gardens located on East Main Street are designed for Buena Vista’s arid climate, the high altitude of 8,000 feet, and hungry wildlife.

Located next to the curbs at the three main intersections of East Main St, the 11 gardens are located in extremely inhospitable locations; hot, dry, windy, and subject to invariable foot traffic and inconsistent precipitation, the plants in the gardens have to be low-water and deer and rabbit resistant. These gardens include the plants that most meet these particular requirements and have proven to be successful in Buena Vista specifically.

It is important to understand that the plants are critter resistant, but any animal that is hungry enough will eat almost any plant – these plants are just much less likely to be eaten.

For most of the plants in a xeric garden, retaining water will be an ongoing issue. Buena Vista has very sandy soil that does not hold water. A key concept for success is adding organic matter such as compost to the soil for the nutrition of the plants and as a means to hold water. Mulch is also extremely important to keep weeds at bay and hold water in the soil. The most commonly used mulch in our area is bark or wood chips as the wood breaks down it also adds organic matter to the garden bed.

For more information on the plants listed, visit one of our local nurseries or local landscape businesses.

2022 XERIC GARDEN PLANTS
Columbine	Snow-in-Summer	Coreopsis	Prairie Coneflower
Lipstick salvia	Purple salvia	Pink salvia	Peony
Lupine	Blue butterfly delphinium	Ornamental oregano	Rose campion
Iceplant	Agastache	Rocky Mountain penstemon	Russian sage
Yellow yarrow	Sedum	Cushion spurge