For those just getting their feet wet in gardening with natives or landscaping with natives, the following list found at PlantNative.org is a good place to start. It’s not easy finding plant lists specific to Wyoming. I have no trouble finding native gardening information for California, or even Colorado, but most of the plants used in those states are not suitable to Wyoming’s climate.

This list contains good, reliable native plant species suitable for the gardeners of Wyoming. I was especially pleased to see Indian Rice  grass (Oryzopsis hymenoides) and Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) on their ornamental grass list. Basin Wildrye reaches four feet high in natural habitat. It’s stiff, straight stems add vertical structure to a garden and can be used as a living fence or back drop to more leafy plants. I plan on filling a tough corner with it this summer.