The Arboretum has partnered with the City of Flagstaff on occasion to contribute to the wealth of resources regarding native plants and landscaping. We have produced informative brochures such as the Flagstaff Fabulous List, which guide homeowners in selecting the most fabulous native plants for their homes.
Recently we have completed a review of the City’s plant list that guides professional developers and businesses in appropriate and allowed plants for the city. Flagstaff is among cities such as Bend, Oregon and Boulder, Colorado in creating these specific lists of plants that not only are appropriate to the region, but will be better adapted to low water use, have lower fire risks, and are not potentially invasive.
This City of Flagstaff Landscape Plant List is not meant to dictate to homeowners what they can plant, but to show developers what they can plant. When new development finishes construction the developers use this list of allowed plant species to choose from and can be better advised on what particular species would be best for their particular site.
They can learn from the list what general size the plant will be and what light and water requirements it needs. They also can determine if the plant is allowed in certain zones of a development, like a right-of-way. They can also rest assured that the species will be approved by the City and should have a good chance of thriving at their site.
The City of Flagstaff Landscape Plant List is a compilation of about 300 recommended landscape plant species that are well-suited for survival and sustainable application in Flagstaff’s unique climate and soil conditions.
Species were selected based upon the research and recommendations of local landscape architects, landscape professionals and concerned citizens. The Arboretum’s review of the list narrowed the total allowed species down from 293 to 233.
We took the original list and ranked each species using a matrix of 7 factors:
- native status
- water requirements
- invasive potential
- drought tolerance
- pollinator potential
- fire resistance, and
- local availability.
Species that scored the lowest in our esteem were recommended to be removed from the list. Most of these species were ones newly described as having invasive potential in other parts of the country, had serious fire hazard potential, and/or had extremely high water needs.
The final list is being processed by the City for final Council approval and distribution. For more information and lists feel free to visit the City of Flagstaff website:
Sheila Murray is the Conservation Botanist at The Arboretum at Flagstaff.
