by Matt Corrion
Here a few images I snapped from my “dry Xeriscape” garden at my home in Arvada, Colorado. This garden faces southwest, and receives little to no supplemental watering. The area was previous an irrigated lawn before I converted it to this Xeriscape.
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)
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
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by Matt Corrion
A little housekeeping from 2009-
Below is a photo slideshow with before and after images of a residential landscape renovation that we completed in fall of last year:
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
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by Matt Corrion
UPDATE: Collecting Rainwater in Colorado will be legal beginning on August 10, 2016. Please see our new post regarding the use of Rain Barrels in Colorado, and House Bill 16-1005.
Two new legislative bills were passed in Colorado this summer that seem to be causing some confusion regarding water rights. Senate Bill 09-080 and House Bill 09-1129 allow for the collection of rainwater- but only in very limited circumstances.
Many businesses and homeowners are looking for ways to be more sustainable, to save water, and to conserve resources to help their bottom line. I have been surprised to find that many people are not aware that collecting rainwater- even in a simple “rain barrel” system from your roof for use in watering a garden, is illegal in Colorado.
Historical Precedent
I think the Colorado Division of Water Resources website summarizes well the historical precedent in layman’s terms: “Colorado water law declares that the state of Colorado claims the right to all moisture in the atmosphere that falls within its borders and that ‘said moisture is declared to be the property of the people of this state, dedicated to their use pursuant’ to the Colorado constitution. As a result, in much of the state, it is illegal to divert rainwater falling on your property expressly for a certain use unless you have a very old water right or during occasional periods when there is a surplus of water in the river system. This is especially true in the urban, suburban, and rural areas along the Front Range. This system of water allocation plays an important role in protecting the owners of senior water rights that are entitled to appropriate the full amount of their decreed water right, particularly when there is not enough to satisfy them and parties whose water right is junior ro them.” (more…)
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by Matt Corrion
We just completed our latest residential project in Arvada and I thought I would share some photos of the project:
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!
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
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