Most of this is treated water that has gone through a long and expensive process of being collected and travelling through a complex system of catch basins, detention ponds and storm drains.  

Next, the water is treated at a water treatment facility to the point where is certified drinking-quality tap water- often it is of better quality than what you would buy in a bottled water. 

Finally, the water leaves the facility and travels through a DIFFERENT extensive system of pipes to your home or business.  The system, and all of the maintenance on it, is paid for by you the taxpayer.

Why then, would you design or maintain a landscape that sheds drinking quality water every day right back into the storm drain?

Water Running off Into the Gutter

Narrow islands like the one above should never have sod on them.  This photo was taken at a commercial site where there are literally dozens of these island.  Judging by how green the grass is, most likely they are getting watered like this twice a day.  In a future post I will give some calculations on typical water use-  but it is safe to say this property is sending  thousands of gallons of water down the drain every day.

Two other problems with this photo: 

1)  The fact that they are “raised” islands makes the situation worse.  Water will quickly run off the slope before it is absorbed by the soil and lawn. 

2)  Notice the cracking in the curb-  What is the number 1 cause of damage on parking lots and curbs?  Water.  The daily dousing of the curbs and asphalt will cause big maintenance costs.

ALTERNATIVES

• First off- never design the landscaping this way.  We never design turf areas within parking lot islands unless there is an areas that is flat, and over 8 feet in width.
• This property can be renovated to save water.  The renovation will save the owner in watering costs and landscape maintenance costs- while also limiting the amount of water damage to the asphalt and curbs.
• Here is an example of an alternative design, using Xeriscape planting on drip irrigation:
  

  A Low Water-Use Xeriscape Parking Lot Island

Related Posts:

• What Not to Do- Placing Irrigation Heads Next to Fencing
• 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?
• Arvada Residential Landscape Makeover

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

Related Posts:

• Going from “builder bushes” to an Attractive and Unique Landscape
• Scenes from a Colorado Garden – June 2010
• What Not to Do – Turfgrass in Parking Lot Islands
• Outdoor Design Group Designing Landscape for New Assisted Living Project
• What Not to Do- Placing Irrigation Heads Next to Fencing

The project includes extensive therapy gardens and many interesting site features for the residents and their families.  Site design for elderly and special needs users presents many unique design challenges and opportunities. 

This plan is conceptual and subject to change.  I will provide more images and details about the project after the design and construction are completed.

Related Posts:

• What Not to Do – Turfgrass in Parking Lot Islands
• Arvada Residential Landscape Makeover
• What Not to Do- Placing Irrigation Heads Next to Fencing
• Save Money and Water by Converting Sod to Xeriscape
• Interview with Urban Design Podcast about Site Renovations

One of the ways that I challenge myself to learn and to stay on top of the latest trends is to keep my eyes open for good and bad designs and ideas as I travel around my area or out of town.

The fence on the right is located near my home, in what appears to be an HOA (home owner’s association) maintained area next to a single family housing development.  This is just one example of fences like this that can be found all over Denver.  The root of the problem is that they have put sod directly against a wooden fence.  Sod is typically irrigated by overhead spray and the water from the irrigation is discoloring and deteriorating the fence.

Problems with placing irrigation heads directly next to fencing

• Discolored fencing is unattractive:  Obviously this is an aesthetics issue- these fences are a real eye-sore for these developments and the surrounding community.
• Shorter lifespan of the fence:  Water is one of the most damaging elements for a fence.  Irrigation systems often run every day, which discolors the fence and causes the wood to rot much sooner than it would naturally.  The ground around the posts also gets saturated, which causes the posts to rot and even break off at the ground during high winds.
• Boring design:  This type of street frontage design lacks creativity, and does not distinguish a place as unique for pedestrians or vehicles traveling by.  Shrubs and ornamental grasses could be used instead to provide more visual interest-  and choosing locally adapted or native plants give the area a stronger sense of place.  These plantings also can help screen an older fence that is deteriorating.
• Additional landscape maintenance:  Another less obvious issue with putting sod directly against a fence is that it requires additional maintenance to go back and trim the lawn at the bottom of the fence, where mowers can not get close enough to the fence.

Solutions

• Avoid planning and designing landscapes in this way.  Instead of putting sod directly against the fence, design a planting bed that is a minimum of 5′ wide (or wider, depending on the design) against the base of the fence.  Separate sod areas from the bed with an edger, and locate the irrigation spray heads at this new edge.
• If planting is not an option, then create a simple 2′ wide rock mulch strip on each side of the fence.  Again, seperate this area from sod by using an edger and place irrigation outside of this strip.
• If you have an existing property with this problem, hire a landscape architect that specializes in site renovations (we would be an excellent choice) to design a renovation solution that meets your needs.
• Use drip irrigation for any planting beds against a fence.  If there is no way to avoid having sod against your fence, consider using a sub-surface drip irrigation system that is designed for sod areas.

Related Posts:

• What Not to Do – Turfgrass in Parking Lot Islands
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• Arvada Residential Landscape Makeover
• Outdoor Design Group Designing Landscape for New Assisted Living Project
• How to Winterize an Irrigation System

The plain old high-maintenance traditional landscape is on the left, and the same property is shown on the right after one of our renovations using a Xeriscape approach.  The finished product has numerous beautiful flowering shrubs and perennials, ornamental grasses, and trees that will continue to grow over the next couple of seasons into an attractive and lush landscape.

What are the other advantages, you ask, and how does this save money?

* As an example, we have estimated the first phase of the project above will save over 380,000 gallons of water per year, at a savings of   over $6,000 per year.  Thats a lot of water.
* For the entire property, we estimate a potential savings of  4,500,000 gallons of water a year, at a savings of over $31,000 per year!  ~Now, that is a LOT of water!
* We have found that Xeriscape vs. sod has a 20-40% reduction in maintenance costs (aside from the water savings).  It turns out that all of that weekly mowing, trimming, aerating, thatching, fertilizing, etc. and all the gas required for the equipment to maintain large areas of sod can really add up.  The Xeriscape, by comparison requires little maintenance (more on that in a future blog post).
* Ask any engineer and they will tell you putting water around the foundations of buildings, onto parking lots, retaining walls (almost anything) will lead to structural failures in freeze/thaw climates.  Eliminating the need for all that watering is a good idea.
* Drought-  Colorado had a big one from 2000-2003.  California is experiencing one now.  There will be more, and when they hit do you really want to pay twice as much for extra irrigation water, or watch sod go brown due to watering restrictions?  Xeriscape can handle drought much better, and is more adapted overall to our arid climate.
* Many water districts, cities, and municipalities are offering sizable rebates to convert to lower water-use landscapes.

Don’t get me wrong-  some areas of bluegrass sod are fine.  Everyone loves to step barefoot onto some freshly mowed grass!  And you can’t beat the green color-  That’s why in our designs we locate appropriate areas for sod where they will have the most impact, where people can enjoy them, and where they can be easily maintained.  But sod on a south-facing slope in full sun that bakes to a crisp is no good-  and have you ever stepped barefoot onto a sodded parking lot island?  Me neither.

With the right planning and design guidance, these same principles can be applied to properties of any size- from small residences to large office parks.  For some great examples of how this can be applied to different types of properties, see our case studies for commercial, multi-family HOA, single-family HOA, metro districts, and office properties.

Related Posts:

• Up to $25,000 Rebates Available through 2010 Aurora Xeriscape Program
• Xeriscape Rebate Programs Provide a Great Opportunity for HOA’s and other Property Owners
• The Top 10 Benefits of Making Landscaping More Water Efficient
• How Much of my Water Goes Toward Irrigating my Landscaping?
• What Not to Do – Turfgrass in Parking Lot Islands