BOULDER, Colo. — As Colorado's summers heat up and climate change continues to intensify the state's extreme weather, many gardeners are uprooting their lawns and experimenting with different plants and techniques.
“It's a no-brainer,” says Rachel Staats of the Boulder nonprofit Resource Central. “You save water, you support pollinators, and you don't have to spend as much time dealing with water-hungry grasses.”
Resource Central helps Coloradans conserve water, save energy and reduce waste, and one of the ways they do this is by selling water-saving plants through a program called Garden in a Box.
Adam Hilbery, Denver 7
Located in Boulder, the garden includes several Resource Central “Garden in a Box” kits that have been planted over the past few years.
Denver7 stopped by a Boulder front yard where red valerian, coneflowers and other flowers sway in the breeze, welcoming bees, birds and butterflies.
“Everything blooms here all year round, so there's never a day that goes by without colorful flowers blooming in your yard,” Startz says.
Over the past few years, she has slowly been repopulating the dwindling lawn with colorful flowers.
“I'm not a gardener, but it's really easy,” she said.
The plants are sold in curated packs in 4-inch pots, and require deep watering every three days for the first year to allow the roots to establish. But by the second and third years, the water-efficient gardens require very little watering, she says.
Adam Hilbery, Denver 7
The flowers in the Garden in a Box kits are selected to bloom at different times throughout the spring and summer.
Besides lowering water bills, Staats said the plants have another benefit: “They can withstand high temperatures, hail, intense sun, all the weather events we experience in Colorado,” she said.
In the future, resistance to sudden changes in temperature and humidity will become even more important.
“Historically, Colorado has been a difficult place to garden and farm because of the extreme weather we've had,” said Keir Schuenemann, a meteorology professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “It's a really tough place, and climate change is definitely going to make gardening even more difficult.”
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Schuenemann said more frequent and intense heat waves, longer droughts and more intense thunderstorms are all linked to climate change.
All these conditions are tough on plants, especially young crops.
Colorado is also a high-hail state, Schuenemann said, and many gardeners along the Front Range lost early plantings to hail storms this year.
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A gardener herself, Schuenemann said she's been learning new techniques to deal with Colorado's harsh climate — she grew up in the Midwest, where her family had apple and cherry orchards.
“The skies here are very dry and clear. [in Colorado] “It's a big difference,” she said, but she's still able to grow flowers and vegetables.
“One thing I do at home is drip irrigation, setting a timer so it goes off early in the morning before I get up,” she says. She also uses shade cloth or outdoor umbrellas to cover her plants on the hottest days. Shade cloth can also double as a hail shield if you put it up before a storm.
Still, her plants aren't as productive this year as they have been in the past. “It's been so hot this year, so the plants seem to be slowing down a bit because of the heat,” she says.
Schuenemann said gardening is “almost like a sport. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
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As a result, Coloradans are increasingly turning to native landscaping, which uses less water.
Last year, Resource Central helped more than 10,000 people conserve water using its Garden in a Box and “Slow the Flow” sprinkler assessments, and the company partners with local governments and water departments to offer incentives and discounts to Coloradans who want to remove their lawns and replace them with water-efficient gardens.
The online Inspiration Hub shows how diverse low-water gardens can be, from dry rock landscapes that resemble desert scenery to mulched flower beds that bring vibrant colour.
source:
Coloradans are sharing photos and tips about how they've transformed their landscapes on the Waterwise Yards inspiration hub.
Staats said after a few years, the garden was so well-groomed that it barely required any maintenance.
“Once a week I take a little walk around the garden – stick my finger into the ground to see if the soil is wet or dry, how are the plants doing, do they seem thirsty, etc.”
If the plant is drooping and the soil is dry, it's time to water. If the plant is drooping but the soil is still quite moist, it's time to take a break from watering.
“As the plants become more established, their roots will grow deeper into the soil, so you'll need to water less frequently but more deeply,” she says.
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If you're interested in replanting your garden, Staats says the best time to plant is in early spring after the last frost in mid-May, or in late summer around August or September.
Resource Central is currently selling Gardens in a Box for pick up in late summer.
Coloradans can also check out nonprofit organizations, plant swaps and nurseries that offer assistance with native and low-water plants.
The Colorado Native Plant Society offers advice on which plants to choose and why, the People & Pollinator's Action Network has a list of pollinator-friendly nurseries across the Front Range, and Wild Ones Front Range is hosting native plant swaps throughout June.
“More and more people are looking to spend less time tending to their gardens and more time enjoying them,” Startz says. “No matter what condition your garden is in, we can accommodate.”
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