With recent news headlines (https://abcnews.go.com/US/happen-colorado-river-system-recover-historic-drought/story?id=98475953) warning of the extreme drought conditions hitting the western U.S. and the region that makes up the Colorado River basin, cutting water use has become top of mind for many citizens and leaders in Colorado and beyond. One city in Colorado has approved a plan to cut water use in the face of this historic drought, and this plan is raising some eyebrows and generating its own headlines due to its potential impacts.
In the summer of 2022, the city council for Aurora (Colorado’s third largest city), approved restrictions on high water turf lawns for all new construction. Originally proposed by Aurora mayor Mike Coffman, all ten members of the city council voted to approve the new ordinance which limits the amount of turf lawns in new developments and golf courses. (https://www.denverpost.com/2022/08/23/aurora-limits-grass-lawns-golf-courses-water-usage/)
The ordinance prohibits water guzzling turf lawns in common areas, medians, curbside landscape and front yards. In back yards, lawns must be equal to or smaller than 45% of the area, or 500 square feet, whichever is smaller. However, an exception was included to allow front yard turf lawns for residences whose backyards are too small to fit the 45% or 500 square feet threshold.
Perhaps most importantly, the ordinance restricts turf from being used merely for decorative purposes in common areas unless it is for use in “active or programmed recreation areas.” The skinny strips of lawn often found in older commercial developments which are inefficiently irrigated as water over-sprays wastefully on to nearby walks, streets and parking lots, will hopefully become a relic of the past.
Wasting water in a parking lot.
Considering that the typical high-water lawn needs 25″ of water annually to look good and green, and Aurora (as well as most of the front-range urban corridor of Colorado) only receives 15″ of natural precipitation all year, reducing or eliminating non-active or un-programmed turf lawns is a very easy way to reduce urban and suburban water use.
This is why another recent headline grabbing story regarding reducing turf lawns was welcome news. In June 2022, the State of Colorado passed a bipartisan-sponsored measure that will encourage property owners across the state to ditch their water-wasting turf lawns (https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1151).
The legislation is intended to use state funds ($2 million) to financially incentivize the voluntary replacement of irrigated turf with water-wise landscaping. The bill, HB22-1151, requires the Colorado water conservation board to develop a statewide program that would distribute funds to various “local governments, certain districts, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations” for lawn replacement programs. Those funds could then be used to pay property owners to reduce their landscape irrigation by transitioning away from high water turf lawns, towards more climate appropriate landscape treatments. The funds could also go towards expanding some existing programs that already pay property owners to replace water-thirsty lawns, about $1 to $3 per square foot of removed sod. Most of these rebates are only offered in cities in Colorado and not unincorporated areas. One goal of this legislation is to broaden this type of program to other areas in the state.
An example of a water saving landscape renovation at a multi-family property in Aurora, CO.
While $1 to $3 per square foot of removed sod may seem generous, there are reports of some landowners in California getting lawn replacement rebates up to $6/sf. (https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/19/us/california-drought-lawns/index.html). Interestingly, some of the rebate programs in California also require installation of rain barrels as well as turf lawn replacement. That is an intriguing idea for rebate offering entities in Colorado to consider, especially since rain barrels only became officially legal just a few years ago.
Researchers at Colorado State University estimate that landscapes account for at about 55% of the total annual water use for a typical single family home in Colorado.
Typical Colorado household water use; CSU extension
And most of this goes towards lawn irrigation. In the city of Denver for example, it’s estimated that nearly 25% of the city-wide entire annual water consumption is sprayed on high-water turf lawns. (https://denverite.com/2019/05/06/denverites-can-use-120-million-gallons-a-day-to-water-their-lawns/) Considering that lawns are only irrigated about half of the year or less in Colorado, that is a lot of water that could easily be saved if more lawns were changed into climate appropriate landscape treatments.
Let’s hope that the recent passage of Aurora’s lawn restriction as well as HB22-1151 helps usher in a more water conserving and water conscious future in Colorado and other states in our drought prone region. This won’t translate into a complete disappearance of high-water turf lawns. However, for the sake of our rivers, aquifers and reservoirs, it means that these water-hogging green carpets must be used wisely and judiciously in the designed landscapes of the future.
Example of beautiful low-water groundcover alternatives to high water turf lawn.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
In 2016, the congregation of Saint Francis of Assisi
Catholic Church in Longmont, Colorado decided to expand their existing building
to better serve their growing congregation. The proposed addition to the
existing building would impact the existing landscaping, so our company was
hired to design the renovation and adjustments of the landscape around the
building.
The remodel of the building will be done in multiple phases.
So far, phase 1 of the renovations has been constructed.
The rendered landscape plan for the Saint Francis of Assisi Church.
Like many church construction projects, this one had to be
cost conscious. Due to budget constraints and various budget reviews, the
proposed plantings were adjusted several times during the planning stages to
best fit the current needs of the budget.
One particular technical challenge was the assessment and modification
of the existing irrigation system and pumps. Our irrigation specialist was
dispatched to the field multiple times to work with the Church’s maintenance
crew to puzzle out the best way to adjust and modify the existing irrigation
system. In the end, we were able to bridge the new and existing irrigation
systems into a cohesive whole.
From a planting design perspective, the client had a few key
points they wished to address: Blend new and existing plants seamlessly; create a low maintenance & low water use
landscape; and add seasonal focal points to pair with the liturgically
appropriate seasonal milestones that are critical to the Church.
Our team worked with the Church’s maintenance team to ensure
the plantings and other landscape elements would be low maintenance. Hearty and
reliable plant species were chosen for the design. We also wanted the new
plantings to blend seamlessly with the existing landscaping. In addition to
these criteria for the plants, we also ensured the plantings in the expanded
parking lot would not obscure any critical sight lines for pedestrian and
vehicle safety.
To create seasonal focal points, we considered different
plants that might be at their peak during significant seasonal holidays. One
good example of this is forsythia shrubs with their glorious yellow blooms that
appear close to Easter, a very significant holiday in the Catholic Church. Not
only are the seasonal focal points a visible manifestation of seasonally
significant biblical events, these planting nodes provide attractive backdrops
for photo opportunities during church sponsored events such as weddings.
Working on the landscape renovations for the Saint Francis
of Assisi Catholic Church was a wonderful experience for our design team. It was satisfying to help the Church achieve
their landscape design goals for their congregation and stay on budget.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
As the population boom along Colorado’s front-range continues, many housing developments have been popping up throughout the area in an attempt to satisfy the need to house the burgeoning growth. While many of these new developments tout their environmental and community principles to attract buyers, one PUD (planned unit development) project we have had the opportunity to work on takes those ideas seriously and is truly committed to building a green and inclusive community.
This project, called Main Street Erie, is still in the approval process. When it is ultimately built, Main Street Erie will provide new housing options for the growing town of Erie (located in Weld County), while simultaneously following many of the environmental and community ideals that the citizens of Colorado hold dear to their hearts.
The design of Main Street Erie is informed by New Urbanist
concepts and inspired by the idealized small town of America’s yesteryear.
White picket fences blend with detached walks, traditional architecture with
inviting porches, and cozy alley homes to bring back the charm of an idealized
residential development your grandparents may have grown up in as children.
To be efficient with land area, homes are placed closer together with smaller yards. Because most of the lots do not provide a large amount of outdoor space, and also because many of the lots have extra accessory dwelling units (ADU’s), it was determined that a community garden space would be a good addition to the project. A large portion of the property was set aside for a garden area with nearly 30 garden plots. In the community garden spaces, residents can work together getting their hands dirty nurturing their green thumbs, while interacting with their neighbors.
The inclusion of ADUs in this development will help address
the need for multiple housing types. ADU’s can help provide variable housing
sizes, which in turn may lead to a more diverse cross-section of community
members.
Near the community garden plots will sit a clubhouse with outdoor gathering spaces, including a whimsically oversized chess board to entertain young and old alike.
Just north-east of the clubhouse a large communal lawn space is planned that will make a perfect community gathering spot for residents and their families to relax and have fun with their neighbors.
This project is an efficient use of the land due to the manner in which housing types are sited together. Homes are situated and designed for maximum solar gain. This will help maximize the efficiency of solar panels. But at the same time, care has been taken to incorporate vines and other plantings along the south sides of buildings to shade the structures from southern exposure, to help minimize heat gain as much as possible.
Main Street Erie has been a great project to be involved
with. With no foreseeable slow-down in development along the Front Range of
Colorado, it is good to see neighborhoods and communities like Main Street Erie
being planned with sustainable and community building aspects being included
from beginning.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
As Spring has arrived once more, we here at Outdoor Design Group have been thinking back to a past post we published, that ruminated on the importance of the annual Spring garden clean-up. We wanted to revisit that post and make some minor updates and add some extra information.
“Spring Clean-Up” includes the spring landscape maintenance tasks that are vital for a healthy and attractive landscape, especially for Xeriscape. This article is intended to give a simple, easy to follow guide covering the most important spring landscape maintenance tasks.
If you read our Fall landscape maintenance tips, you know that we are not a proponents of keeping the landscape perfectly tidy over the winter. Keeping a less tidy landscape over the winter is good for the health of the plants, and good for small wildlife like insects and birds. Now that spring is here, among other things you will need to clean your beds of those leftover leaves, and cut back your perennials and grasses.
Important Timing Dates
March to April: Cut back perennials and grasses. Clean up leaf litter and other debris.
Early May: Time to start up that irrigation system. Resist the temptation to start your sprinklers before May 1st. In Colorado, we generally get plenty of moisture in March and April so lawns do not generally need supplemental water yet, and it will go to waste. Many shrubs and perennials are only just beginning to emerge.
The average last frost date in the Denver area is May 5th.
The rule of thumb for planting new plants in the Denver area (and other Front Range communities) is to wait until Mother’s Day (middle of May) to plant new bedding plants. Consult sources such as NOAA to find the last frost date for your area.
If you are starting seeds indoors for warm weather vegetables, herbs or flowers, St. Patrick’s Day is a good date to do so.
Ornamental Grasses and Perennials
Woody perennials like Russian Sage may not completely die back
Cut back herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses so that they will grow back bigger and better than before. For perennials, cut them back to about 2″ to 3″ above the ground. For woody perennials, such as some of the sages, some of the old growth will often begin to leaf out and you can leave more of the existing plant to re-grow, or you can choose to cut it all the way back to a few inches above the ground.
Most groundcover and other low growing perennials usually don’t need to be “cut back” but they may need to be cleaned up, with dead areas gently raked out or trimmed off.
When cutting back ornamental grasses, a rule of thumb that we like to use is to cut them back to 1/5th (or 20%) of their mature height. Feather Reed Grass, for example, grows to a height of 4-5′, so you would cut them back to 10-12″ height.
Cut grasses back to 1/5th of their full height
Some ornamental grasses look better if they are not cut back, namely Mexican Feather grass. It won’t hurt the plant if you do cut it back, but the form of the plant looks better if not cut back.
“Divide and conquer”! Divide up summer and fall-blooming perennials and grasses and transplant them throughout the landscape. This gives them time to grow this season, so that in the late summer you will have new plants to enjoy. With ornamental grasses, if the center of the plant is dead, cut this out and compost or discard.
Wait to divide spring blooming perennials until early fall.
Remove excess mulch and leaf scraps and other debris from around the bases of plants, along with any extra mulch that was placed around plants to protect them over the winter. Spring is the wettest time of the year along the Front Range, and the mulch is needed the least at this time. Leaving excess organic material around the bases of plants in spring can cause root rot, mold, and insect damage.
Consider saving any seed heads or pods from perennials you’d like to have spread around the yard. You may want to save the seeds and start them indoors in nursery pots, or you can just simply break up the seed pods and sprinkle them in the areas you might want to see new plants.
Planting Beds
Controlling weeds in bed areas is very important in the spring. You should to get a leg up on the weeds now, while the soil is soft and easy to work with and the weeds are small. A great time to pull weeds is when the ground is still moist from snowmelt or a spring rain. If weeds are allowed to “run wild” and set seed throughout the spring, you will have a maintenance headache later in the summer. Weed control can be a quick and easy task when done correctly from the start of the year through the end.
For bed areas between plans that may have become uncovered during winter windstorms, add a new layer of mulch.
Vegetable Garden Beds
Remove old/dead plant debris from last year. Compost this debris, unless this material was diseased. Tomato plants are very susceptible to diseases so we recommend never composting them, just dispose in the trash.
Consider having a soil test done. Many gardeners add more nutrients (in the form of compost) every spring thinking that their soon to be planted veggies will need that extra boost; but if its not needed, it can backfire and cause problems. Ideally, vegetables and some perennials prefer soil that is 4-5% organic matter. Native plants and cacti prefer soil that is only 1-3% organic matter.
If you want to add compost to your beds, the best time to do so is in the fall, giving the compost time to break down and ‘mellow’.
Lawns
Aerate your lawn in spring. Aeration allows for greater movement of water, fertilizer, and air which stimulates healthy turf. Aerating also increases the speed of decomposition of the grass clippings and enhances deep root growth. Compacted soil especially benefits from core aerating. Be sure to mark the locations of sprinkler heads with flags prior to aerating so that they will not get damaged.
It’s a good idea to rake the lawn areas once really well in the spring to clean up any leftover sticks, pine needles, etc. In the summer we use a self-mulching lawnmower that mulches and re-deposits the clippings in place rather than bagging them. However the first time we mow in the spring we like to attach the bagger to suck up any new clippings and other debris left over from the winter.
If there are bare spots in your lawn, consider broadcasting some grass seed after you have aerated, and before a forecasted snow or rain event. The cooler and wetter conditions of Spring are perfect for germinating many popular lawn grass types.
You may want to fertilize your lawn in the spring to give it a boost. Don’t over do it though, because fertilizer can wash off of your lawn and the runoff can be harmful to water supplies and wildlife. Consider timing your application of fertilizer right before a spring snow, so the melting snow can help the fertilizer percolate to the root zone of the grass.
Remove or kill any emerging weeds, like dandelions, as soon as possible before they set seed and spread around your yard and into your neighbors’ yards.
Early Spring is a good time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide on your lawn to prevent crabgrass. However if you have recently applied grass seed, do not apply a pre-emergent herbicide.
Look at the size and shape of your lawn, and how much water you used this year in the battle with our dry climate to keep it green (or, brown?). Consult with a landscape architect about reducing your lawn area and redesigning your landscape to make it more attractive, sustainable, and functional.
Trees and Shrubs
You can now remove tree wrap from trees. If you also have tree stakes and the tree is mature enough to not need them anymore, Spring is a good time to remove the stakes.
For most trees and shrubs, don’t prune them in the spring. They are budding out and are susceptible to more stress and damage at this time. I find that it can also be difficult to tell whether a branch is dead or alive without physically checking each one, since the leaves have not yet emerged. Wait until late summer or fall to remove any dead branches and to do any other pruning.
Some shrubs (butterfly bush, barberry, privet, Japanese spiraea) are best pruned in late winter or early spring. Other shrubs (lilac, forsythia, mock orange) and some trees (ornamental pear, redbud, pines and spruces) are best pruned in late spring or early summer. Generally speaking, you should not prune a plant until soon after it has flowered.
Trees that are considered “bleeders” (have a lot of sap) such as dogwood, elm and maple should be pruned after the leaves are fully formed.
But wait to prune young or newly planted trees and shrubs, until they have had some time to become established.
In most Spring times, there is adequate precipitation for landscape trees and shrubs. However, if it’s been a dry winter and continues to be a dry Spring, keep an eye on soil moisture around your plants. Before you start your irrigation system in May, remember to check the soil moisture, and give trees and shrubs extra water if needed.
Irrigation
Resist the temptation to start your irrigation system before May 1st. After May 1st, pressurize your irrigation system and check for and leaks and for proper spray distribution. Adjust the angle and throw of sprinkler heads. Check irrigation equipment for clogged nozzles and sprinkler heads for damage. Realign heads if necessary. Examine any drip irrigation to make sure there are no leaks or other issues, and plan to make regular check-ups on your irrigation system throughout the season.
Stake down and cover with mulch any exposed drip irrigation lines.
Spring Weather Considerations
Watch for those late spring snowstorms! Trees and shrubs that are flowering and/or leafing out can catch the heavy wet spring snow on their branches, often causing serious damage due to limbs breaking off. If you can safely do so, consider gently knocking off any accumulating snow during the wet spring snow events we typically get. This may save branches from breaking during the storm.
Other
Check any metal edging to make sure that it is has not heaved over the winter. If it has popped up out of the ground, you should repair it. Edging keeps the sod from creeping into landscape beds areas, which can be a maintenance nightmare if it gets out of hand. Metal edging can also be a safety hazard to pets and children, if not properly seated or capped. If you have a plastic protective cap on your edging, inspect it and replace it if necessary.
If you follow all of the above recommendations you will end up with a lot of organic material and cuttings as a result of your spring cleanup. If you have the space for it, consider composting this material. Or, rather than throwing the material away to go in the landfill, check to see if there is a local recycling center that will take the material to compost it.
If you compost at home, do not include any weed seeds. Home composting does not heat up enough to kill the weed seeds.
As you go about your landscape doing these Spring cleaning tasks, you will begin to accumulate quite a bit of organic material and cuttings. Most of it is very good organic matter that is great for composting. If you have space in your yard for it, consider composting it on site. This will provide you with a free soil amendment. Another option is to take it to your local recycling center where there might be a organic matter drop off location. However you accomplish it, composting is a better option for yard debris as compared to sending it to a landfill.
Spring cleanup is a time honored tradition among gardeners, as an excuse to get outside after the long winter months and to freshen up the landscape as it springs to life. With Xeriscape, spring maintenance is even more important. Since Xeriscape requires less regular maintenance through the summer, it is critical to get the summer started off right so that your Xeriscape will require very little maintenance throughout the year.
Regardless of the landscape style that you are maintaining, if you start off on the right foot in the spring you will be well on your way a beautiful landscape to enjoy throughout the coming year.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
As the Baby-boomers continue to age, and with Generation X not far behind, the need for assisted living and memory care facilities has been on the rise. Outdoor Design Group has had the opportunity to work on several Assisted Living and Memory Care residential facility projects over the years. One AL/MC project we participated on recently, Landmark Assisted Living, is located in the town of Lafayette, Colorado.
With wonderful clients and a great design team, Landmark Assisted Living and Memory Care was a positive experience for our staff, and something we look back on with pride. This locally owned and operated facility was thoughtfully designed with a unifying landscaped courtyard at the core of the small complex of three buildings.
Landmark Assisted Living and Memory Care overall landscape plan.
The genesis of the idea for this green heart of the site plan came during several different charrette meetings held at our office with the owners, architects, planners, civil engineers and us, the landscape architects. Becoming involved in the project from an early stage helped us insure that the importance of outdoor spaces would be an integral component of this Italianate site design. Inspired by a Tuscan hill town village, an entrance tower concept became one of the key features of the plan.
Three site concepts that were investigated early on in the design process.
Faced with an odd shaped lot, the design team determined that there would be a long entrance drive into the center of the lot, with a circular drive/parking area reached just before the buildings and courtyard. One advantage of the long entrance drive, is the ability to have the courtyard area conveniently located near the circle drive and parking, yet far enough from the busy and noisy traffic of a main thoroughfare.
One concept rendering that came about in the middle of the process.
The circular drive provides a perfect sequence for a vehicle drop-off, but we realized that the center of this drive could also become a nice landscape focal point for people as they entered the site.
After navigating the circle drive, visitors then encounter the entrance gate and tower. Reinforcing the Tuscan theme, the tower provides a delightful “landmark” for the site, and makes a great entrance into the gated landscape.
One of the last concept sketches the team devised as we approached the final site design.
The layout of the buildings is predominately to the north and east sides of the property. This scenario provides a mostly southern and western exposure of the courtyard, which leads to an outdoor space that is rarely shaded in the cold months, fostering an exterior space that is sunny and easy for the snow to quickly melt. A formal water feature anchors the center of the courtyard design.
Due to the open and bright exposure in the courtyard, we proposed a series of raised garden beds where residents of the facility could indulge their green thumbs and get their hands in the dirt. If the sunny space gets too warm, there is a shade structure and several trees to provide protective seating spots to enjoy the outside air. And if residents or staff are in need of a simple stroll to clear their mind or get their blood flowing, there is a small network of interconnected walkways inside this gated courtyard that allows for that.
Digital 3-D rendering of the Landmark site.
The Landmark Assisted Living and Memory Care facility has turned out to be a great project that brings the pleasures of a gated courtyard and Tuscan style architecture together to create a wonderfully inviting and therapeutic outdoor experience for residents, visitors and staff members of the facility.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
