Written by: Ellen Bell

Looking for ideas about water wise trees and plants that are well suited to Pueblo? Then Cattail Crossing in Pueblo West is a “must visit.” The gardens are a wonderful resource for xeriscape varieties. Many are Plant Select and are labeled as such. In fact, this garden won the Plant Select Golden Shovel award.

If you are not familiar with Plant Select, it is a nonprofit collaboration between CSU, Denver Botanic Gardens and professional horticulturalists whose mission is to seek out and distribute the best plants for landscapes and gardens that thrive in our Rocky Mountain region.

The various themed garden beds not only showcase beautiful multi-colored blooms but, in many cases, indicate their water usage which ranges from very low to moderate.

My walk started by the Rose Garden and wound around the different beds: the Shady Nook, Southwest and Prairie Gardens and along the adjacent lake, the Lakeside Garden. The water makes it feel cooler even on a hot morning. A Red Late Flowering Lilac was blooming even though it was June.

Plant lists are available that include the botanical names. This is always important because common names can vary widely between and even within regions.

The garden is open to the public and free. Maintenance is by the PW Community Gardeners, and you can find them on Facebook @PWXeriscapeGardeners. Restrooms are available 7:30am – 3:00 pm daily. There is even a shaded pavilion so bring a friend and a lunch or snack!

To find the garden, take US Hwy 50 to McCulloch. At that light turn south on McCulloch Blvd. Proceed .8 mile to Joe Martinez Blvd. Turn right towards the Desert Hawk Golf Course parking lot. There is a smaller parking lot on the right for the garden which is just up a slight hill.