Drop by Drop
Landscape Planning
By Michael Higgins, Gecko Landscaping
By nature, all of us in the Yampa Valley love our outdoor spaces. We want to be outside, whether we are deep in the trees of Mount Werner or in our cozy backyards. Landscaping in the Yampa Valley can be as challenging as some of our deepest, darkest winters. The reward is our long, dry, seemingly endless summer days. Though we let nature do the grand landscaping, when it comes to the space outside the back door, we need to plan.
Planning for Use
Who are you? What are your expectations for your outdoor space? Are you an avid gardener or is riding your bike more important in the summer months than yard work? Most of us fall somewhere in between, but this is the most crucial decision you will make.
Structure is the next consideration when planning a landscape. It provides the skeleton for everything else you want to achieve. Plan your beds first and decide what your needs are for privacy from neighbors, or shelter from the sun, wind, and noise. What are your secondary needs from your landscape? You might want a home garden for fresh herbs and vegetables. Or perhaps you favor a minimalist look with limited grass areas and a xeric-style landscape to minimize water use. Whatever your style, you can do it here in the valley. The best way to get ideas about what works well in our climate is to keep your eyes open as you walk, bike or drive around town and see what grabs your fancy. The articles and photos you see in some of the nationally circulated magazines are not usually very realistic for our little micro-climate. The best resource we have here in Steamboat is our wonderful botanical gardens. The CSU Extension Office or the professionals at a local garden center are also a great resource for figuring out what works well.
Planning for Water Conservation
Steamboat is blessed with one of the most moisture friendly climates in Colorado. This can be a little bit deceiving though, as about two-thirds of our precipitation comes in the form of snow. Deservedly, water scarcity is a hot topic in the intermountain west, and with the local water prices jumping significantly, water use is a serious consideration when planning a landscape.
Plant selection is the most important part of a water wise landscape. With today's plant scientists developing more and better hybrids, the choices we have for water wise plants has never been greater. Many of my favorites are the ornamental grasses bred from the native grasses that flourished in our climate for thousands of years. These grasses can be used to create a very native-looking prairie-style landscape, or a very clean modern style with a minimalist approach. Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), a cousin of the tall western sage which is native to the high mountain plains surrounding Steamboat, is an excellent choice for its extreme drought tolerance, silvery scented foliage and wonderful purplish flowers that persist from mid-august till first frost. An excellent ornamental tree variety is a Canada red cherry (prunus virginiana “Shubert”) also a cousin to the chokecherry shrubs native to our mountains. This tree, or large shrub, is most well-known for its burgundy leaves. It also tolerates poor soils, drought, and shade, and birds love its fruit.
Many styles of irrigation (drip, overhead spray, or soaker style), can be used to maintain your plants. I prefer drip irrigation for all planting beds. Though it is more labor intensive, and therefore a bit more costly to install, it is by far most efficient use of water for your beds. The water is fed directly to your plants' roots, without any evaporation, creating deep root systems which help the plants fend off the early frosts and survive the hot summer days we get in August and September. If you choose to have lawn areas, turf type tall fescue is the best option for water usage. Similar to bluegrass (which is not considered drought tolerant), it will form a nice solid lawn while using half the amount of water. Install a rain sensor for your irrigation system. A rain sensor measures the amount of rainfall in a given storm and tells your irrigation system to shut off for a preset amount of time based on the amount of rainfall. During our midsummer monsoon season, it is not unusual to get an afternoon rain shower several times a week, potentially saving a couple of weeks of irrigation water each summer. This technology has improved greatly over the past couple of years. A typical installation costs less that $400 and you can pay that back in savings within a few years. Mulching also aids water conservation. Whether you are choosing to mulch with rock, bark mulch or compost, this step is also very important for plant protection and water conservation, as it will protect your plants' root systems from our extreme fluctuations in temperature in the fall and spring.
Maintenance
Proper maintenance can greatly improve water conservation in our landscapes. Everybody loves a nice patch of green grass to run around on barefoot or just to lie in the shade for an afternoon nap. What we do not love is the water bills and work it can be to enjoy these areas. With a few steps we can achieve the best of both worlds. In the spring and fall aeration is extremely important to a healthy looking lawn in the Yampa Valley. Aeration allows air and water to return to the root system of your lawn after snow has compacted the soils all winter long. Spring thatching scratches the upper roots zone, pulls up stagnant grass, and stimulates new growth. Proper fertilization of lawns provides optimum growth and most efficient use of resources in our short growing season. Typically, lawn areas require three applications yearly, spring, mid-summer, and fall winterization. In the spring your lawn will wake up hungry after a long winter; this is the best time to apply a “weed and feed” style fertilizer which will provide the nutrients your lawn is craving as well a fight off any crabgrass, dandelions, or other weeds trying to germinate in the spring. Summertime feeding (last week of June to early July), typically consists of a higher nitrogen fertilizer to promote greener grass and healthy root systems. Fall winterization is the most important feeding for your lawn. Timing is everything as it is important to apply this feeding after your lawn has gone dormant but before it freezes. Consult your local garden center or the CSU Extension Office for specific advice on which fertilizers are needed for your particular issues.
Whatever your desires are from your landscape, planning is the most important phase. With proper planning all other aspects will fall into place, saving time and resources, which will allow you to get out and get after the things you truly enjoy, be it mountain biking, kayaking, or gardening.
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Outdoor Living Spaces
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Bringing Roots Back to the Home