Introduction:
The ‘Colorado-friendly Garden’ As the climate changes, so must our gardens.
Of necessity, gardens must now become sustainable; they must be tailored to
local conditions - and that’s exciting!
We literally have the opportunity to create a whole new type of garden right in our own yards. That’s a fun challenge, and we’re going to
help you with our new series ‘Designing Your Colorado-friendly Garden’.
Coloradans
have a long history of ‘borrowing’ plants from other parts of the world. In the past, we chose plants we liked, then modified
soils and irrigation practices to accommodate their needs. While this strategy
worked for a while, many of the ‘borrowed’ plants required more water and
nutrients than we actually had. As the
climate changes – and materials become more limited - this strategy is becoming
obsolete. That’s why we call it the ‘Old Colorado Garden’ paradigm.
What
we need now is a whole new paradigm - one that is sustainable. We call this the ‘Colorado-friendly Garden’. Colorado-friendly Gardens are
appropriate for our climate. They are
water-wise and life-friendly, providing habitat for people, plants and
creatures. They reflect the history and natural history of
our area. They are beautiful and comfortable,
suiting our tastes, values, lifestyle and even cultural heritage. For more see: https://mothernaturesmontrosegarden.blogspot.com/2019/06/why-create-colorado-friendly-garden.html
The
Colorado-friendly Garden is not about
giving things up; rather it’s about making conscious
choices. You’ll need to think
carefully about how you want your Colorado-friendly
garden to look. What activities will
you want to do in the garden? Do you need
a place to cook and eat? A small
meditation area? A vegetable
garden? Where’s the best place to store
trash cans or locate a compost barrel or dog run? What colors and shapes do you like? Will you use only drought tolerant plants, or
will some parts of the garden require regular water? All of these choices and more should influence
your garden design.
The
Colorado-friendly Garden involves choosing plants that will thrive under
existing conditions, rather than modifying the site to fit the plants. So, you’ll need to conduct a site inventory
and analysis to determine your site’s physical ‘assets’. Next you’ll map these assets: the soil type,
light & shade patterns, topography & drainage, pre-existing plants and
other physical characteristics. You’ll
also need to inventory the views: the good, the bad and the ugly. Your plant choices will be based on both the
site characteristics and your personal needs and desires. That’s what makes designing a Colorado-friendly Garden so personal,
creative and satisfying.
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You may need to plan shady places to sit,
if your garden is hot in summer
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Some
gardeners will want to hire a landscape architect or other landscape professional
to help design their Colorado-friendly Garden. Qualified garden designers have years of
training/experience in laying out attractive, functional gardens. They can help arrange a garden that has good
traffic flow and maximizes views. But
you’ll need to be an active partner with
your designer to ensure that the final design reflects your priorities, values
and tastes.
If
you work with a designer, you’ll want to do some background work ahead of
time. This will make the designer’s job
easier; but it will also allow you to think about your priorities and choices
ahead of time. With this knowledge
you’ll be able to articulate your desires – and stand up for your choices if
necessary. In this series we’ll
provide some interesting exercises and questionnaires to help you do your
background work.
Most
designers don’t have time to conduct a thorough site analysis. They don’t live
at the site as your family does. And
they don’t know your family’s tastes, desires and other personal factors
important for a well-designed home landscape.
Whether you hire a landscape
professional or design the landscape yourself, the background work must be done
for your landscape to be successful.
Like
the climate, the landscape design industry is changing to meet the future. Unfortunately, some landscape designers are
still stuck in ‘Old Colorado Garden’ mode.
You’ll likely have to search for a designer who understands the new Colorado-friendly Garden way of
thinking. A qualified designer
understands that your landscape should be water-wise and life-friendly. They will ask questions about soil, drainage,
temperature and shade patterns in addition to assessing your family’s design
preferences. They will want to work with you to design an
appropriate landscape. And they will
have knowledge of native plants and
their use in local gardens.
The
best way to find a Colorado-friendly Garden
designer is to choose a garden you like and find out who designed it. Don’t be afraid to ask a local homeowner; they
will usually be happy to recommend their designer – or give you tips if they
designed the garden themselves. Local
nature centers, arboretums, colleges/universities and botanic gardens may have
lists of recommended garden designers. So may your local agricultural extension agent
and/or Master Gardener Program. Your
local chapter of the Colorado Native Plant Society (or other native plant
society) or Audubon Society may also have suggestions.
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| Example: Functional Analysis |
Why
Plan? A well-designed landscape begins with a
plan. That sounds a little scary, but
the planning process actually proceeds through a series of well-defined steps. We’re going to help you through the steps in
this series. We think you’ll find the
process fun, interesting and informative.
You’ll be learning about your garden’s physical characteristics, history
and potential. At the end, you’ll have
a garden plan that you – or a landscape professional – can install. That’s pretty neat; and trust us, the
alternative to planning is not pretty!
A Colorado-friendly Garden is both functional
and aesthetically pleasing. It’s actually a small functioning ecosystem that
includes your family. Many gardeners
understand the aesthetic part. But thinking about how you want your garden to
function is an equally important. Selecting
plants is actually the last step of
the design process. Fully understanding the property's drainage, soils and
ecology; locating existing site elements; developing a 'wish list' of use areas
and locating them properly; and resolving all these elements into a successful design
should be accomplished first.
If
designing your own garden, you’ll need to learn some design tricks used by the
professionals. There are a few basic
principles that can help give your garden a pleasing appearance. They will help you create a garden that is
interesting, balanced and ‘tied together’ into a pleasing whole. We’ll
talk a little about garden design later in this series.
The
eight steps of developing a landscape plan are summarized as follows:
- Develop a base map (base plan). (August, 2019)
- Conduct a site inventory and analysis. (September, 2019)
- Assess your family's needs (functional analysis).
- Locate the use areas.
- Determine your likes, dislikes, etc.
Discovering
your garden’s history
Your
gardening likes & dislikes
How you’d
like your garden to
- Develop the hardscape plan
Managing water
Other Hardscape
- Develop the design plan
Introduction
and hardscape design
Designing
with plants
Choosing
the plants
- Install the garden
The first step is to draw an accurate base map. We’ll be helping you do this later this
month. You will actually develop two
base maps: one with only your home and other structures and a second that
includes pre-existing plants you plan to retain. Your site
inventory (September) will cover current physical features of your garden
site, but also an exploration of its history.
These activities will help you determine your site’s assets - the base
on which your landscape plan will grow.
Your functional
analysis will include an assessment of your needs, values and aspirations
as they relate to the landscape. You
will prioritize your needs, then locate
the desired features in the most appropriate landscape areas. You will develop
the use areas by choosing hardscape features (walks; walls; irrigation
system) and plants appropriate to your plan and site. Finally, you will develop a planting plan
which includes a plant list, landscape map and installation schedule.
Designing a Colorado-friendly
Garden is an exciting process.
You’ll learn a lot about your garden, your local area and yourself. So, follow along as we guide you through the
process over the next eight months.
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We welcome your comments
(below). You can also send your
questions to: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com
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