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In 2019 we partnered with Colorado State University to provide students with an opportunity to support Habitat Hero’s efforts. One of these student projects was to design gardens for climate-threatened birds along the Front Range. Each of the booklets feature plant profiles, a planting diagram, and maintenance tips that will help you plant a garden that will help give birds a fighting chance. Take a look at the booklet descriptions below and download the one that best fits your needs.

Planter Boxes

Purpose: To appeal to as many pollinators and migratory birds as possible in a limited space and no yard. You can still make an impact, even from planting a few strategically placed planters

Audience: Residents living in apartments, retirement homes, patio homes, etc., designed for people with limited space, no yard, and minimal maintenance requirements

Download , , and  Bird-Friendly Garden Designs

Suburban Home

Purpose: To better utilize a backyard as a natural space desirable to native pollinators, native birds, and homeowners

Audience: Ideal design for suburban residents with under-utilized lawn space

Download  and  Bird-Friendly Garden Designs

Small Business

Purpose: Incorporate human use of native plant species and habitats by pollinators and migratory birds

Audience: Perfect design for small business owners or homes with patio spaces

Download  and  Bird-Friendly Garden Designs

Water Catchment

Purpose: Create a corridor for pollinator species to live. With the repeal of the Colorado Water ban, there is going to be an increase for homes that have a more readily available access to water. We wanted to create this design to be able to cater to people that utilize leach fields or water catchment systems.

Audience: Homeowners on the Front Range in Colorado that have a leach field in the back yard or a water catchment system they can use to water the lawn.

Download this 

 (Kiowa, CO) - Family operated, specializes in seed of western natives, also includes non-natives of alpine species from around the world; catalog gives location where seed collected, codes indicate germination advice, also has good information on pretreatment and germination of native seeds.

 (Denver, CO) - Seeds of native grasses, forbs, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees as well as non-native naturalized species.

 (Fort Collins, CO) - Retail nursery with a Habitat Hero Demonstration Garden along with a wide selection of native plants & seeds and hosts educational workshops.

 (Fort Collins, CO) - Specializes in seed of native wildflowers, seed available in small packets, seed sold in many retail outlets.

 (Grand Junction, CO) – Dedicated to xeric and native plants. Definition of native for this nursery is ‘plants growing naturally in the Rocky Mountain Region.'

 (Cheyenne, WY) – Retail nursery with a selection of native plants and seeds.

 (El Jebel, CO) 

(Boulder, CO) - Facilitates the opportunity for everybody to sustainably grow food. They create garden beds, custom-size cold frames, greenhouses, and edible landscaping permaculture design.

 (Fort Collins, CO) - Retail nursery with selection of native plants and seeds, workshops; website does not include plant list so must call or visit the nursery or call to availability.

 (Fort Collins, CO) – Native plant sales and demonstration gardens.

 (Boulder, CO) – Family-owned nursery and garden center dedicated to providing plants that are neonic-free.

(Fort Collins, CO) - A 501(c)(3) non-profit nursery offering more than 100 varieties of prairie and Rocky Mountain Native plants from April through September.  All proceeds of plant sales support their restoration ecology and native plant horticulture education and outreach programs.

 (Fort Collins, CO) – Specializing in carrying a selection of native plants.

 (Greeley, CO) - Primarily wholesale source of seed, including native grasses, shrubs, and forbs for reclamation and restoration.

 (Greeley, CO) - Largest seed producer in the US. Offers seeds of native grasses and wildflowers, the Greeley location focuses on the Rocky Mountain region.

 (Coaldale, CO) - Native wildflower, grass, shrub, and tree seeds, mixes for different elevations and biomes, run by a botanist and his wife.

 (Casper, WY) - Retail nursery which offers a variety of native plants in pots.

Want an expert to take care of the planning process for you? Here are two businesses whose proceeds support Habitat Hero.

Together with High County Gardens we created the Habitat Hero Birdwatcher Pre-Planned Garden. This carefully selected collection of plants will attract and benefit songbirds and other beneficial pollinators. This 7’x12’ garden-in-a-box has a great variety of perennials, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. High Country Gardens proudly supports the mission of Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Rockies by donating some of the proceeds with every garden sold!​

Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Rockies has partnered with Earth Love Gardens to offer Habitat Hero-certified garden designs and installations! Through Earth Love Gardens or one of their partnered professional landscaping companies, a custom design will be created for your yard that features a diversity of native plant species, a nest box, and more resources to help you provide habitat for birds. Part of the proceeds will support Habitat Hero. 

American Meadow Garden: Creating a natural alternative to the traditional lawn. John Greenlee. 2009. Timber Press.

Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies. The Xerces Society. 2011. Workman Publishers.  

Bringing Home Nature: How you Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Douglas Tallamy. 2013. Timber Press.

Collecting, Processing and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants. James A. Young & Cheryl G. Young. 1986. Timber Press. Originally published in hardcover in 1986, available in paperback since 2009. 236 pages, Timber Press, Portland, OR.

, Bringing Conservation Home, 2005, Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Colorado: The guide to wildscaping that inspired the Habitat Hero project. Includes chapters on knowing your site, how wildscapes work, designing and building your wildscape, maintaining that great habitat, and wildscapes as tools for education and community involvement. Chock full of color photos and inspiring profiles of Habitat Heroes.

Farming with Native Beneficial Insects. The Xerces Society. 2014. Storey Publishing.

Garden Stories. Judy Richter. 2017. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. 

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be A Source Of Environmental Change. Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher. 2016. Timber Press.

Growing Native Plants of the Rocky Mountain Area. Robert D. Dorn and Jane L. Dorn. 2007. Lulu Publishing. 

High and Dry: Gardening with Cold-Hardy Dryland Plants. Robert Nold. 2008. Timber Press.

Landscaping with Native Plants of the Intermountain Region. Hilary Parkinson. 2015. Technical Reference 1730-3 2003. U. S. Dept. Interior. Bureau of Land Management

Native Plants for High-elevation Western Gardens. Janice Busco and Nancy R. Morin. 2010. Fulcrum Press.

Plants with Altitude: Regionally Native Plants for Wyoming Gardens. Amy A. Fluet. Jennifer S. Thompson. Dorothy E. Tuthill. Brenna R. Marsicek. 2014. University of Wyoming. Biodiversity Institute. 

Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States.  1974.  USDA, National Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 450; this book has been largely replaced by the book below.

, Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn, John Greenlee, 2009, Timber Press: A beautiful book that shows and tells how  and why to replace your lawn with native meadow. Saxon Holt's photos are gorgeous and informative, and the book includes how-tos plus lists of grasses and grasslike plants, plus examples by region.

The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. From Seed to Tissue Culture. 2nd edition. Michael A. Dirr. Charles W. Heuser. Jr. 2007.  Varsity Press. Inc.

Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty. Laurent Springer Ogden. 2011. Fulcrum Press.

 Wyoming Game & Fish Department.

Creating a Year-Round Habitat for Pollinators

Guest Presenter: Amy Yarger, Horticulture Director at Butterfly Pavilion

So many pollinators, so much time! A healthy pollinator habitat provides food, shelter and other resources in the summer…and the rest of the year, too. Learn about some of our most common (and underappreciated) native pollinators and how you can help them 365/24/7! 

Water-wise landscaping – good for people, birds, and rivers!

Presenter: Jamie Weiss, Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Rockies’ Habitat Hero Coordinator 

How can you create gardens that are designed to minimize water consumption and provide essential habitat for birds, pollinators and other wildlife, large and small? Learn from Jamie Weiss, Habitat Hero Coordinator for Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Rockies, how native landscaping and a network of engaged citizens taking on-the-ground action in their own yards are helping our Colorado rivers. 

How To Plant: Planting Perennials, Everything you Need to Know!

Presenter: David Salaman, Founder & Chief Horticulturist for High Country Gardens 

Learn the best techniques for planting perennials from our partners at High County Gardens.  You’ll learn how to amend the soil, the right depth for planting, how frequently to water and how much light you'll need. You'll have all the skills you need to plant perennials the right way. 

Since 2014, we've certified hundreds of bird-friendly gardens across Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. To get a sense of what some of them look like, explore the map below of the first 100 gardens we certified in 2014 and 2015.

Students taking "Practicing Sustainability" at Colorado State University helped us create this self-guided tour of demonstration gardens in northern Colorado. Using the StoryMap below, you can preview what these gardens have to offer. For the best viewing experience on desktop computers, . To explore the StoryMap, click on the garden images at the bottom of the screen, or on the arrow that appears when you hover your cursor over the large image on the top right of the map. To explore the StoryMap on phones and tablets, swipe left on the gray box at the bottom of the map. To enlarge the garden photos, tap on the gray box. To return to the map, tap Map at the top. You can also zoom in and out and scroll around the map manually on both computers and mobile devices.

To take an in-person self-guided tour, you can  and use  to navigate. And if you do visit these gardens, tag @audubonrockies on social media to share what you find!