Happy to be here to discuss residential and commercial property landscaping. One of those invisible things that needs more attention that a cursory knee-jerk approach to life’s problem seeking solutions.

The way we have approached  landscaping in recent ( and not too distant past) has been to just slap in some pretty shrubs, a few cheap, fast growing trees, and add a thirsty, high maintenance stretch of turf, in order to propagate the myth of the great American backyard; part putting green/ part barbecue patio/ part ballpark in miniature. As with other suburban myths  the above does not allow for others to share the resources needed to keep our individual American Backyard dream alive.

As our population increases further stress will be placed on local/ municipal/ county, (and ultimately the states ) resource and utility distribution. Some communities, even now limit resource usage in certain environments. Water, to many of our communities is a major bone of contention. Water in many Western communities is a finite resource that goes scarce when mountain runoff dries up. Drying resiviors can force community managers to take desperate measures to conserve water in medical facilities, schools, retirement homes while the local golf course and many home and small business landscapes must do without.

There are things that can be done, now, to help stave off draconian water restrictions and soaring tap fees to come in our future.  One method, called “Xeriscape” by the Denver Water Board thirty some years ago uses native and adapted native species of plants, trees, shrubs, and turf-grass along with hardscape such as native stone, concrete block, brick, etc. to create, beautifully unique but highly water efficient and low maintenance landscapes that nearly take care of themselves. Such a landscape, a xeriscape ( “XERI” pronounced ‘ZERI’ = Greek for ‘dry’), installation  for instance, costs a bit more than what we have always done in the past with conventional landscapes but, unlike conventional landscapes, there may be no need for an irrigation system installation. Where a xeriscape installation makes sense is after the installation. Low annual maintenance expenses and low water expenses help the landscape project pay for itself over time. In our Rocky Mountain region,  xeriscape can help residential and commercial property owners exploit the uniqueness of our region.

Xeriscape is catching on all over North America. Colleges and universities supported by Federal land grants throughout the U.S. are researching how to bring xeriscape to urban/ suburban communities. Best research into xeriscape is being done at : Iowa State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington State, University of California at Davis, and in our region, Colorado State University.  Just about every land grant school will have an extension office open to public in just about every county or parrish( for those in Louisiana). Phone#s and websites can be found in local phone books or you could search for your extension service. As an example of extension service outreach :  Colorado State University extension link .

Much health and happiness to you and yours.

At blogging, I am a noobie. Many thanks for your forgiving my screw-ups. I’d appreciate your advice and tips.

The title above may seem misleading. No, there’s no knock down drag out between adversaries.

I am a landscape contractor in Northern Colorado. I love my job. It allows me to get a little closer to the ground, a little more humble to be in closer contact with dirt. Specializing in xeriscape has lead me into a whole other world of landscaping which has been very rewarding, to say the least. Since not everyone knows the word, “Xeriscape”, I guess I should explain a bit.

“Xeriscape” describes the new/old method to a sustainable, low maintenance, low water use, style of landscaping for commercial and residential properties. It involves using native and adapted native species of plants, trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses, and even some turf grass along with hardscape stone paths/walks, mulches, decorative stone walls, in a whole new way taking full advantage of solar access or lack thereof, slope of land for drainage, prevailing winds, and water access.

The word “Xeri” ( pronounced “Zeri” )originates in the Greek word for “Dry”,  “Xeros”. The Denver Water Board first coined “xeriscape” in the late 1960′s while reviewing population growth projections. They discovered that population growth in the then booming growth area in and around Denver would soon lead to more people than could be served by existing or future water delivery systems which were solely dependant on winter snowpack runoff. It was then time to find ways to conserve water, particularly when most new construction projects were installing thirsty landscapes in an area known for periodic and long, multi-year  droughts. Cooperating with researchers at Colorado State University ( CSU ) the Water Board began offering discounts on nursery stock to homeowners and commercial property owners who would convert their conventional landscape to xeriscape. Property owners who did remodel their landscapes began seeing a savings on their municipal water bills of up to 75%  and the Denver Water Board found that conservation pays large dividends.

Since those early days of xeriscape,  many other municipalities have sought out ways to conserve their water resources without cutting service to residents. A whole field of research has sprouted from the beginnings  at Colorado State U. Land grant colleges throughout the U.S. have provided valuable information to agriculture and municipal interests in their home states. Most notably, Penn State, Washington State, Iowa State, Texas A+M, University of California/ Davis, and other schools have pioneered the research.  Other states are finding that careful management and conservation of their finite water resources makes better sense as populations increase.

All this research is fine but how does it work in the real world ?  And how does a xeriscape garden bed in my little patch of the world beat corporate greed ?  Well, I’d be happy to tell you.

Conservation of natural resources is not a new concept sparked by all the talk of “global warming”. Many cultures in our past have found uses for, and conservation methods of, their local resources. “Global Warming” might be a hip phrase describing a coming disaster. Or it could be the punching bag phrase political conservatives use to beat up on arch enemies the “liberals”.  Who cares ?  Installing a xeriscape in your backyard ( or one owned by you ) helps you conserve water, therefore being a real conservative in the literal sense of the word without having to change political affiliations.

 Proper landscape installations and remodels are not cheap. Each landscape job I’ve ever done has been beautifully unique and priced fairly for that job. There is no “cookie cutter” method to installing landscapes. Trying to get a landscape job done on the cheap results in a cheezy looking landscape that will cost double to repair in just a few years. I have never understood why cheapskates are allowed to drive since they seem to be so masochistic in purpose. Bargin hunters are not cheapskates. Finding a bargin in landscape work is frequent and pays off in beauty and style.

Search out a good landscape contractor at local full service garden centers ( the ones that don’t have “Depot” or “-Mart” in their name ). Ask friends and relatives about contractors they have used. Check with your state’s chapter of trade associations : Associated Landscape Contractors of America (A.L.C.A. ) or  American Nurseryman’s &  Landscape Association ( A.N.L.A. ) . Check out individual contractors with your local Better Business Bureau ( BBB ).

  When we begin conservation and wise resource use at the grassroots level, you know, a little closer to the ground, our small steps may go unnoticed  by government and corporate interests for a while, maybe.  Little guy  1  -Corporate Greed  0 .

Much health and happiness to you and yours.

30 year resident of Northern Colorado. Survived the crazy days of the late 1960s and ’70s. Met my wife here, almost 25 years together. No kids unless you want to count our cats.

Own my small landscaping business here. Web site : www.dovegardens.com .

Still a fan of God, Love, and Rock ‘n Roll.

thanks for the chance to say my piece.

Much health and happiness to you and yours.