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Owner

Lisa

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Intermediate

Project Size

500 - 750 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2024

Time Commitment

More than 40 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Bird/Bee houses, Shrubs

Resource Central Programs

Lawn Removal Service

Advice from the Owner

We love to watch the bees and butterflies- even had a toad visit! I have added plants slowly- throughout the summer to keep the cost down. We converted our sprinkler system to drip lines- the conversion was simple. We have adjusted the drip times and drip heads to use minimal water.

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Owner

Helen

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Beginner

Project Size

500 - 750 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2024

Time Commitment

More than 40 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Berm/swale, Pathways

Resource Central Programs

Garden In A Box

Advice from the Owner

I am so happy to be done with our front yard lawn and to replace it with these (mostly) native plants. The garden in a box program was a wonderful and cost-effective option to fill in our sizeable front yard. We did a lot of work re-grading to create berms, moving rock to create the dry creek bed, planting, and installing the drip irrigation system. We sheet-mulched the lawn last fall, and underestimated the bindweed infestation that was already present. Now we are battling the bindweed - and the rabbits munching on the plants! Happily the watering (rainbird drip irrigation system on timers) works wonderfully and requires very little maintenance now that it's established. Love this program!

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Owner

Jason

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Intermediate

Project Size

Less than 250 sq ft

Project Location

Backyard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2022

Time Commitment

11 - 20 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system

Resource Central Programs

Garden In A Box

Advice from the Owner

I continue to plant low water plants designed to attract pollinators, so the Garden in a Box program is great. I look forward to seeing an increase in beneficial insects and hummingbirds.

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Owner

dave shelley

City

BROOMFIELD, CO

Skill Set

Intermediate

Project Size

500 - 750 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2022

Time Commitment

31 - 40 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Pathways, Berm/swale, Shrubs, Boulders

Advice from the Owner

The plants have grown so quickly! We have had bumble bees, honeybees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Also, a lot of looky-loos and neighborhood folks pass by on their walks. In the photos, the landscaping above and behind the stone wall was installed in 2010. Our new garden was installed the week of June 13; the sod removal was in May. All the plants except one sunflower have survived. The neighbors on both sides have said they really like the new look. I should have had the contractor use more organic material - less rock - and make the bark mulch a little thicker. I will be working to rearrange some of the larger cobbles along the dry stream bed to look more natural. The contractor we used - EDI -was good to work with although the lead designer and foreman has left the company.

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Owner

Matt

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Beginner

Project Size

1,000+ sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2022

Time Commitment

More than 40 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Berm/swale, Pathways

Resource Central Programs

Garden In A Box

Advice from the Owner

I removed 1,800 s.f. worth of bluegrass and added almost 1,000 s.f. of low-water, xeric plants. I took full advantage of Resource Central's lawn removal program and did the work myself by renting a sod cutter. I also installed all new irrigation (again, myself), including smart sprinklers (Irrigreen Sprinklers) for the little grass I have left and a drip system for the garden beds. I was able to obtain RC's plant guides before I began the work, which allowed to meticulously plan my layout. In total, I planted more than 140 plants in three different garden areas. I received plants form RC, High Country Gardens, and local nurseries. I would recommend taking a close look at amending soil. I created a berm in in one of my gardens with a 50/50 top soil/squeegee mix, and that garden area has by far outperformed all others, which are thick with clay. The pictures that I have provided are all from the same season! I planted everything in the second week of May 2022, and the most recent picture was from July 25th, 2022. Based on my current billing data, I have already saved more than 14,000 gallons of water through the months of May, June, and July! My garden is alive native pollinators, and I could am incredibly excited to see what the next few growing seasons bring!

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Owner

Judy and Dave Shelley

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Intermediate

Project Size

500 - 750 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2022

Time Commitment

More than 40 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Pathways, Boulders

Resource Central Programs

Garden In A Box

Advice from the Owner

Our project was completed just last week, so we are still getting used to it. So are the neighbors, but we're getting a lot of positive comments and a lot of people driving by slowly. If you hire a designer, be sure they have experience in xeriscape design and have worked in Colorado for some time; xeriscape design is not the normal landscape design process. Moss rock boulders look great, but they are a lot more expensive than plain granite. I would have never tried to do the work myself; that was hard work, especially the dry stream bed and placing the boulders. We're looking forward to lower water bills and I already like a lot less mowing.

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Owner

Linda Hunsinger

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Intermediate

Project Size

250 - 500 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2021

Time Commitment

More than 40 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Drip irrigation system, Pathways

Resource Central Programs

Garden In A Box, Lawn Removal Service

Advice from the Owner

It's amazing to watch this project 'grow into itself' over a short period of time -- quite beautiful! I'm so happy to save water compared to the waste most neighbors see flow down the drain when watering/maintaining a small patch of lawn. Am so very pleased with the services & products from Resource Central -- it was all worth the work & effort.

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Owner

Mary & Chris

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Beginner

Project Size

750 - 1,000 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

Not done

Time Commitment

less than 10 hours of labor

Project Cost

less than $500

Other Project Elements

Native or drought-tolerant plants, Pathways, Veggie gardens, Shrubs, Berm/swale, Drip irrigation system, Raised/tiered beds

Resource Central Programs

Lawn Removal Service, Garden In A Box

Advice from the Owner

This continuing work in progress is bringing so much life and joy into our space! The increase in bees, butterflies, birds, and bunnies who caper around our yard is delightful to watch. Though the layers of mulching make the continuous battle against bindweed a bit easier to stay on top of, they don’t prevent everything from growing up and we’ve discovered some lovely volunteer succulents and two trees joining the party! Our Garden In A Box formed the foundation in 2018 and we’ve divided several plants to grow, as well as filled in with a couple of other xeric plants each year. Turf removal of the remaining grass in 2020 was a huge step! Our modified cold-frame veggie garden takes center stage March-September and provides a surprising amount of food. We can’t wait to fill in the south side of the yard with our second Garden In A Box this fall!

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Owner

Matt

City

Broomfield

Skill Set

Intermediate

Project Size

250 - 500 sq ft

Project Location

Front yard

Sun Exposure

Full sun

Year Completed

2017, 2019

Time Commitment

10 hours of labor or less

Project Cost

Less than $500

Other Project Elements

Raised/tiered beds, Drip irrigation system, Retaining walls

Resource Central Programs

Garden In A Box

Advice from the Owner

Plan your project out in detail before you begin. If you can utilize even a small raised bed and begin with quality planters mix, your plants will thrive and your maintenance will be limited.

Watch the interview with Matt

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Design Ideas

Struggling with coming up with yard design concepts? Check out what other Waterwise participants  have done.

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