Colorado’s diverse landscape offers unique challenges in landscape design from our high altitude, to the last freeze, to life on the high plains. It’s important to keep in mind that the most artful landscapes don’t defy the land, but become one with the land.
This year in particular, being drought-conscious is extremely important. The art of xeriscaping—choosing plants that are native to the ecological landscape— has become the defining aesthetic of elevated Colorado outdoor living. Create a living canvas and increase your curb appeal with these tips and tricks.
Xeriscaping in Colorado
Kentucky Bluegrass lawns are costly to maintain and require frequent watering, so if xeriscaping is on your list of to-dos this spring into summer, Blue Oat Grass is a great option, especially paired with other native plants, rocks, or mulch. It should be planted in the summer, and these neat ornamental tufts of grass that resemble a bush combine well with other grasses.
Another often overlooked plant is the Prairie Dropseed, the perfect grass for your native landscape. This plant does extremely well in the midwestern prairies and takes on a tussock-forming growth habit, meaning it is a dense grass that grows in separate clumps, creating small, elevated moundlike structures.
Russian sage is drought-tolerant and offers lavender-blue fragrant flowers. Low maintenance with long-lasting color, these plants attract pollinators and typically grow two to four feet tall.
Another option is Fernbush, a shrub native to the Western United States, which produces a white flower in mid-summer. Rocky Mountain Penstemon is one of the easiest plants to grow, and the bright blue and violet blossoms do well in full sun with minimal watering.
Yucca angustissima, also known as narrowleaf yucca, is native to the high desert landscapes of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. This perennial can grow up to six feet tall and blooms in the early spring with beautiful white flowers.
Apache Plume is another pollinator-attracting plant that is native to the West. This shrub has fluffy pink seed heads and single white flowers. Indigenous cultures historically used this plant for making brooms, arrows, or medical teas.
Add visual interest with rocks, boulders, gravel, paver pathways, and seating areas. Utilizing a drip water system will help reduce water waste and streamline plant maintenance.
Five Principles of Xeriscaping
- Begin with the Bones
- Stone walls, gravel paths, and boulders establish structure before a single plant is placed.
- Zone by Water Need
- Group plants not by aesthetics, but by how much water they need.
- Design for All Four Seasons
- Xeriscaping should carry interest from April’s snowmelt through December’s winter solstice.
- Embrace the Ground Layer
- Don’t think of decomposed granite, crushed flagstone, or native gravel as filler; think of them as your canvas.
- Restrict Your Palette
- Less is more when it comes to landscape design. Choose plants with intention, and your garden will outperform one that offers more plants chosen carelessly.
Return on Investment that Competes
A beautifully executed xeriscape is not an environmental statement, but a demonstrable value proposition. Properties in Colorado’s premium markets with mature, design-led landscapes are highly desirable. Xeriscaping represents time, intention, and an understanding of place. It can’t be replicated overnight, and this authenticity is a powerful thing to own.