Native Grass & Dryland Seeding in Denver, CO

Native grass and dryland seeding in Denver puts back the kind of plants that covered the High Plains before the city did. Shortgrass prairie grasses such as buffalograss and blue grama evolved with this climate: about 14.5 inches of precipitation a year, strong sun and long dry spells. We seed them for low-water lawns, acreage, open space, slopes and the parts of a property where irrigation does not reach, and we add native wildflowers where clients want color.

Why natives fit here

Blue grama is the main native grass on plains soils like the USDA's Ascalon series, a soil of large extent across eastern Colorado. CSU Extension lists both among the grasses that work for Colorado lawns. They are warm-season grasses: they grow most in summer, CSU notes they make their main growth in late June and July, and they turn tan when they go dormant in fall and winter. People who accept that brown season get a lawn that needs far less water and mowing than bluegrass.

Where they work and where they do not

Elevation is the first check. CSU says buffalograss is limited to about 6,500 feet or lower, which covers most of the metro but not the highest southern suburbs such as Castle Pines. Shade is the second: these are full-sun grasses. Traffic is the third: native lawns handle normal use but do not stand up to the wear a bluegrass sports field can. Where a native lawn is not a good fit, a dryland mix of other species or turf-type tall fescue may be.

Timing a native seeding

CSU Extension says warm-season grasses like buffalograss are usually seeded in May or June, once the soil is warm. That lines up with the start of Denver's wetter season, which runs from April through August, but the seed still needs moisture to germinate. On irrigated ground we give you a short watering schedule for the first several weeks. On non-irrigated ground we time seeding for the best chance of rain and use mulch heavy enough to hold moisture and seed through the first storms.

Wildflowers and mixed native plantings

Native wildflower seeding works well in open areas, on slopes and along the edges of larger properties. Wildflowers usually go in as part of a grass mix so the grass holds the soil while the flowers establish, and many native wildflowers take more than one season to bloom well. We help you choose a mix suited to your soil, sun and how wild you want the area to look.

Weeds are the main threat

Native grasses start slower than bluegrass, so weeds get a head start. Controlling perennial weeds before the soil is disturbed, as CSU recommends for any seeding, matters even more here. Mowing tall weeds during the first summer keeps them from shading out the young grass.