Tag Archives: Denver landscape design

Flowers to Make Landscapes Buzz with Birds & Butterflies

Landscapes humming with life have a special way of energizing our spirits. They remind us of the awe-inspiring circle of life and the infinite beauty of nature. But you don’t have to go to the Denver Botanic Gardens to experience this. You can enjoy an uplifting landscape every time you step outside your home by incorporating flowers that are known to attract birds, bees and butterflies.

As Colorado State University explains, “Butterflies often appear to be just passing through, occasionally stopping for a drink of nectar. You can prolong the stay of these colorful insects and draw in others by providing the food and shelter they need.”

Here are some drought-tolerant plants that can provide the food and shelter to make birds, bees and butterflies linger in your Colorado garden.

Birds, bees and butterflies love Cleveland sage. The unique, tiered bloom adds incredible interest to gardens, and it’s drought tolerant.

Photo via Houzz

Bursting with fragrance and little white flowers, fernbush is native to the Western region and adds wonderful foliage that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Photo via Houzz

The bright hues of purple prairie clover will have your garden “abuzz with bees and butterflies” according to Houzz editor Annie Thornton.

Photo via Houzz

Believe it or not, butterflies love the tiny yellow flowers that bloom on desert agave. And we love desert agave for loving dry conditions!

Photo via Houzz

Milkweed makes great caterpillar food for beautiful monarch butterflies, says Colorado Master Gardener Judy Sedbrook, and it’s great for xeriscapes as it does not require a lot of water.

Photo via Houzz

Do you plant certain drought-tolerant flowers to attract birds, bees and butterflies to your Colorado garden or landscape? Share which ones are your favorite in the comment section below.

Have you always wanted your own butterfly garden? Or, do you need help designing and developing a dynamic landscape? Contact the gardening and landscaping professionals at Lifescape in Denver.

Creating Definition Within Your Landscape With Planted Borders

Whether it’s a small courtyard or an outdoor living room, any landscape can benefit from a little extra definition. Creating a border not only draws attention to the space, but also adds extra emphasis, texture, and in some cases, creates a cozier, more intimate space for relaxing and entertaining.

While lots of homeowners opt for brick or other forms of hardscaping to border and define their landscapes, using plants can create an excellent effect. The Houzz ideabook “Define Your Garden Softly With Planted Borders” explains: “Plants have the edge in several ways, including being cost effective, providing year-round interest in foliage and flowers, and most of all, having the ability to soften the joint between pathways and plantings.”

Boxwood hedging was a favorite of English botanist John Parkinson and remains a favorite among landscape designers today for more formal landscapes. It can be used alone, or with another low-lying plant to create more dimension when the boxwood has been hard clipped.

Photo via Houzz

Perennials are another great choice for creating a border within a landscape, offering seasonal foliage that is especially refreshing when compared to other plant species that don’t thrive well in certain seasons.

Photo via Houzz

Planted borders have been used in this example to create symmetry and frame the fountain, which serves as the focal point of the courtyard.

bordering a focal point within a landscape

Photo via Houzz

As Sunset Magazine shares, ornamental grasses not only bring texture and interesting color to a garden border, but also motion and sound. More importantly, the magazine notes that they are “graceful threads that weave all other plants in the garden together, making them look more like family members than a convention of strangers.”

Photo via Sunset Magazine

Are you interested in creating definition in your landscape with planted borders? The experts at Lifescape are here to assist you with all of your landscape design needs. Contact us today at 303-831-8310, and let’s start developing a plan for a stunning new look for your landscape!

Playing with Height to Enhance Landscapes

When surrounded by mountains or the Denver city skyline, it’s easy for residential landscapes to get lost in the mix. There are, however, ways to make sure the individual elements in your Colorado landscape are getting the attention they deserve. One of the most common ways is to play with height.

In the same way that color adds interest and variety to landscapes, height – when done right – can take landscapes from boring to breathtaking. The key is to make sure you are incorporating a variety of heights in your landscape. If you have plants that are staggered in height, they are less likely to compete with each other. Not to mention landscapes with height will help to enhance the look and feel of your home. As Adrian Kay says on his blog Dream Landscaping Ideas, it’s all about achieving balance.

“Concentrating your landscape plans on the ground alone is a very natural thing to do, but it will end up drawing the eye downwards making the house, boundary walling and any other features seem far more prominent. And this in turn will detract from the balance of your whole front or backyard.”

So to help you create an interesting, beautiful, and balanced landscape, consider playing with height in the following ways.

Add barriers such as fences, retaining walls, screens, or trellises.
Install overhead structures such as arbors, canopies, or pergolas.
Incorporate tall plantings such as trees, bamboo, shrubs, climbers, hedges, and perennials.

It doesn’t have to be all about looks, too. Consider ways that these features can be used to add extra value. We love the way this light, sail-like screen stretches over this outdoor living space to not only adds height but provides comfortable shade, too.

Photo via HGTV

How do you like to play with height in your landscape? We’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below.

Water Smart Landscaping Strategies

Due to the worsening drought conditions in the Denver area, water conservation has been the hot topic. But in addition to being water conscious, there are other ways to create a more drought-tolerant landscape. Landscapes can actually be strategically designed to withstand extra-dry conditions. The benefits of strategically designed landscapes go far beyond saving water, too. Thoughtfully designed landscapes create a beautiful scene all year long.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense website offers several strategies for achieving water-wise landscapes. But before we can get into those, you first have to make sure you know your landscape well. For example, one area of your landscape might have one type of soil and lots of exposure to the sun and wind, while another area might differ significantly in soil type and sun and wind exposure. Once you have a better idea of the factors at play with your landscape, you can then start to think and plan strategically.

An effective way to achieve a strategic landscape design is to create “hydrozones.” This method involves grouping plants with similar watering needs together by planting them in the same area. With hydrozones, you are less likely to overwater or underwater plants. It can also simplify the watering process when coordinated with your landscape’s irrigation system. All you’d have to do is set up your landscape irrigation system to water by zone.

Project by Lifescape Associates

Incorporating landscape design strategies such as plant grouping by hydrozones will not only yield a beautiful landscape, but it will also help Colorado homeowners contribute to water conservation efforts.

Whether you’re ready to design the landscape for your new home or just want to revamp what you’ve got, the team at Lifescape is here to help. Our team can create the gorgeous landscape you’ve always dreamed of while also using water-wise landscaping strategies. Visit our website to learn more about our services, or contact us at 303-831-8310.

Conserve While Watering Your Landscape With a Smart Controller

How is your lawn looking lately? Does it look lush and healthy, or does it seem to be a little more parched than normal?

As we previously discussed, the drier than average winter has contributed to the Denver area being classified as “abnormally dry” for this point of the year. With the lack of snowfall and potential for a dry spring and summer ahead, water conservation efforts aren’t just a nice idea – they’re a necessity.

One way to make sure your plants get all the water they need without using too much is to utilize a smart controller for your irrigation system. Smart controllers, such as the Rainbird smart controllers Lifescape installs, make watering your landscaped areas easier, wiser, and more affordable.

Rainbird’s smart controllers include the following key features, which work together to provide the right amount of water at the right time. These features include the ability to input information such as a zip code, allowed watering days, and the plant and soil types for the zones in your yard, as well as the slope and amount of sun exposure in the areas. Once that information has been entered, your irrigation system will only provide water to your landscape when it needs it. Rainbird’s smart controllers also take into account rainfall amounts and calculate how much watering schedules should be adjusted to avoid over or under-watering. This increases efficiency and saves between 30 and 70 percent more water, all with the EPA’s stamp of approval with a WaterSense label.

This YouTube video below offers even more information on Rainbird’s smart controllers.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/O1V4DYiFWJM[/youtube]

How smart is your irrigation system?

As warmer weather is approaching, it’s time to make sure your irrigation system is helping you use water as wisely as possible. Contact Lifescape today to learn more about how a smart controller can assist you in your water conservation efforts. Visit our website for more information on our irrigation systems services.

Image via Houzz