FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Many who garden in Colorado have heard the words “Plant Select®” thrown around when they're at the nursery or while talking with a friend who gardens, but don’t necessarily know what that means. We looked into the program and share a bit about how it came to be.
Ross Shrigley is with Colorado State University and manages the Plant Select® program as well as the Trial Gardens on campus.
He explains Plant Select® is a plant development and promotion program tailored to the Rocky Mountain region. It’s different from other plant promotion programs because it’s a nonprofit. It’s regionally focused and it’s a collaboration between Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University and industry professionals.
Shrigley said it achieves a few things for the program that we don’t see in most plant promotion programs, notably the mission-driven program exists to improve gardens in our region. It allows them to become more waterwise, interesting and valuable to wildlife.
Rather than crank out plants for profit, plants in the Plant Select® program are tested in the west by botanic gardens, universities, professionals and home gardeners alike.
For a plant to earn the accolade of Plant Select®, it truly must perform in the challenging climate of the west. Only a handful of plants are selected each year, as they must show they’re hardy and can handle Colorado's extreme heat, drought and cold.