Colorado native plants are defined, in the most basic terms, as existing in Colorado before European settlement. Knowing where to find them and the best places for planting them largely depends on the area’s life zone. Colorado is divided into five life zones:

• Plains (3,500 to 5,500 feet) found in eastern Colorado and predominately consists of grasslands.

• Foothills (5,500 to 8,000 feet) characterized by dry land shrubs such as Gambel Oak and Mountain Mahogany, with southern Colorado seeing more Pinon-juniper and sagebrush.

• Upper Sonoran (7,000 to 8,000) found in eastern Colorado and predominately consists of grasslands

• Montane (8,000 to 9,500 feet) home to more trees like the Ponderosa pines, aspen woodlands, Douglas Fir, and Lodgepole pine.

• Alpine (above 11,500 feet) is where trees stop growing, and tundra dominates.

From the high plains in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and even the desert landscape of the Grand Mesa, here are the plants native to Colorado that are best used for landscaping: