Quick answer: 30 native plants for shade are native to Colorado, 25 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
30 species
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado blue columbine Aquilegia coerulea · 9 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 states
- Scarlet bugler Penstemon barbatus · 2 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
Native plants for shade in Colorado: what to know
30 of the 100 plants native to Colorado in this directory fit this need: 30% of the state's list, well below the 47% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 26 are also good for pollinators, 24 are also good for birds, 20 are also drought-tolerant.
17 of them grow in full or partial sun and 30 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Creeping Oregon grape and Red baneberry to trees such as American plum and Bearberry. For wildlife, 26 support pollinators, 24 provide food or cover for birds and 13 are caterpillar host plants.
25 of the 30 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Harebell, Indiangrass: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun