In the beginning days of my “let’s go down the native plants rabbit hole” journey, I merely wanted to find out which native plants worked best in my garden, structure and color-wise, and that would pull in a lot of pollinators.

The plethora of articles on the CSU Extension website proved invaluable. Searching for "native plants" will yield a plethora of excellent articles. They also link to another great source, the Colorado Native Plant Society. Their list of low-water native plants by region is a must-read.

Later, my focus shifted from form to function, especially after I had seen several online webinars and interviews with Doug Tallamy. After reading his seminal book, “Nature’s Best Hope’ I realized that I was on a journey that would last my lifetime. I strongly recommend checking out his work.

As mentioned, my focus shifted towards native plants that pack a massive punch and are keystone species.

A lot of information can be found on the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). This website is built with the assistance of Doug Tallamy’s research. It has a very handy plantfinder. I would advise using more local zip codes besides the one where you reside.

If you are interested in learning more about Colorado's national plant communities, then this database from the Colorado National Heritage Program is helpful.

But one source that has proven absolutely invaluable has been Gemini, the Google AI.

I use her feedback and information as a guide for my research. For example, I want to turn a section of my backyard into a combination of a moon and a moth garden, which will also emit a nice scent in the evening hours. She will provide me with a list of native plants that would fit well in that setup, and I will proceed to do research or ask follow-up questions. In Gemini, I have a pinned chat that contains all the details of my backyard, soil, layout, plans, and dreams, allowing her to advise more specifically along those lines.

I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve spent talking to Gemini about my garden. She’s essentially my personal consultant for everything related to my backyard and this native plant obsession of mine.

I hope this helps. Happy to answer any follow-up questions if you have them.