Knowledgebase
Low-Water Native Plants for Colorado Gardens - Western Slope Colorado below 7,000' #893657
Asked March 05, 2025, 12:28 PM EST
Hi, I have the publication noted above which is extremely helpful however in the information it does not provide timing for best when to plant these and want to make sure that we are not too early or too late. I live in a rural area between Grand Junction and Fruita.
Please let me know if you have additional information, thanks for your help and the useful .pdf!
Mesa County Colorado
Expert Response
It will depend if you are transplanting or seeding. Some seeds require a cold period to germinate, so are sown in the fall/winter. Otherwise, planting in spring, or at least a month before the first frost in the fall are good times to plant.
In spring, we can get late frosts and freezes, which can damage new growth, especially if we get down into the low 20s, though plants can often recover and put out new growth.
According to the Western Regional Climate Center, at the Grand Junction airport, the chance of temps dropping to 20.5F on March 5 is 60% and drops to just 20% by the end of the month. (Select Spring 'Freeze' Probabilities on the left), meaning that you can probably plant at this point, though some tender growth may be damaged by cold temps if we experience those.
