Delosperma (Red Mountain and Mesa Verde Iceplant) and Actostaphylos x coloradoensis (Panchito Manzanita)

Dry Xeriscape Garden

Erigonum umbellatum (Kannah Creek Buckwheat)

Delosperma (Red Mountain and Mesa Verde Iceplant)

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• The 20 Best Xeriscape Plants for Colorado
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• How Much of my Water Goes Toward Irrigating my Landscaping?
• Arvada Residential Landscape Makeover
• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program

Below is a photo slideshow with before and after images of a residential landscape renovation that we completed in fall of last year:

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• Going from “builder bushes” to an Attractive and Unique Landscape
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photo of a converted xeriscape that was previously a lawn area

The City of Aurora, Colorado and Aurora Water have been pioneers in water conservation through supporting regionally appropriate landscape design.  Outdoor Design Group has been actively involved with the program for the last couple of years.  For 2010, the Xeriscape Rebate program has been allocated $250,000 dollars for rebates to convert high water use landscapes (sod, turf, or lawn) to Xeriscape. 

In past posts on this blog, I have documented the money and water savings and given examples of the beauty of these landscapes.  Each site is different, but in general you can expect a reduction in irrigation water use of 30-70%, and a 20-40% reduction of landscape maintenance costs.  This is a great opportunity for HOA’s, commercial properties, and homeowners to achieve long-term savings, in addition to acquiring the rebates.

Here are some key aspects of the 2010 program, from Aurora Water’s website:

• Xeriscape is a great landscape option for our climate because of its reduced watering needs and ability to tolerate periods of drought.
• In addition to decreased water consumption and resilience to drought, Xeriscape has the potential to significantly decrease time and resources expended on maintenance.
• Aurora Water customers interested in Xeriscape as a landscape alternative may be eligible for a rebate of up to $1 per square foot for turf grass that is replaced with low water use plant material.
• $250,000 has been allocated for the 2010 season. The maximum square footage (rebate) is $10,000 for residential and $25,000 for commercial and large properties such as Homeowner’s Associations and multi-family dwellings.

For commercial and large properties such as home owners associations- the program requires that you haver a plan prepared by a licensed landscape architect.  This is a good idea anyway, as a landscape architect can help you prepare a budget and phasing for the project before you commit to a contractor to do the installation.  Landscape architects are also good at communicating what the new landscape will look like- through the use of plans, photos, drawings, and presentations.

Aurora is an ideal community for a rebate program like this, because there are many older landscapes were built in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, and are ready for a renovation simply to update the look of outdated properties.  Although most new landscape codes mandate low water use landscaping, that was not the case in the past-  many older landscapes were designed in a way that requires large amounts of water and maintenance.

But Aurora is far from alone in offering this type of program.  Water supplies are stretched extremely thin throughout most of the Western United States.  A simple Google search for “Xeriscape rebate” brings up 26,400 results.  Similar programs exist throughout Colorado, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and elsewhere.

Related Posts:

• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• Save Money and Water by Converting Sod to Xeriscape
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• How Much of my Water Goes Toward Irrigating my Landscaping?
• Collecting Rainwater Still Illegal in Much of Colorado

Notice the overgrown and poorly placed shrubs that the builder had originally put in (in the “before” slides).  Not much thought went into the original plant selection.  I can’t blame the builder entirely, as they typically hire a landscape company to knock out a bunch of inexpensive landscapes in one fell swoop.  But this goes to show that a poor landscape design can have a negative lasting impact on a builder/developer’s image.  It may have looked OK the day it was installed, but they chose plants that were too large for the space- not to mention downright boring.  A couple of rows of 4 shrubs of the same species doesn’t cut it if you want to be competitive today with buyers and homeowners.

With our help, the owners now have a well thought-out landscape that will also require less maintenance and water.  No more mowing and trimming all that sod right up against the back fence-  instead they can enjoy plantings and a water feature to look at out their back window and from their deck!

Related Posts:

• Arvada Residential Landscape Makeover
• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• Scenes from a Colorado Garden – June 2010
• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Collecting Rainwater Still Illegal in Much of Colorado