Keeping a traditional lawn green through a Front Range summer can mean frequent watering, dry patches, sprinkler repairs, mowing, and ongoing fertilization. Covering the yard with gravel may reduce irrigation needs, but it can also leave the property looking harsh and unfinished.
Xeriscaping in Denver offers a better alternative: a planned landscape that uses less water while providing color, shade, texture, and usable outdoor space.
Westside Grounds is a locally owned landscaping company that has served the communities of Lakewood and Denver since 1999. We design and install drought-tolerant landscapes that reflect the property’s sun exposure, soil, irrigation, drainage, and intended use. Whether you want to replace an unused section of lawn or redesign the entire yard, we can create a landscape that looks like part of your home.
Contact us for a free quote and learn more about xeriscape landscaping in Denver.
What Is Xeriscaping?
Denver Water coined the term “xeriscaping” in 1981 by combining “landscape” with xeros, the Greek word for dry. It refers to a landscaping approach that reduces water use through careful plant selection, efficient irrigation, soil preparation, mulch, and lawn placement. A Denver xeriscape can include:
- Flowering perennials,
- Grasses,
- Shrubs,
- Trees,
- Ground covers,
- Patios and walkways, and
- Limited turf areas.
The goal is to create an attractive landscape that works with Colorado’s dry climate rather than relying on a large lawn that requires frequent watering. Plants are grouped according to their water and sunlight needs, while irrigation is designed to deliver water where it is needed without unnecessary waste.
Xeriscaping should not be confused with zeroscaping. Zeroscaping generally refers to covering most of a yard with gravel, rock, or other hard materials with few or no plants.
What Are the Benefits of Xeriscaping?
Xeriscaping in Denver offers sevleral practical advantages for homeowners in Denver and Lakewood. The following sections explain how a thoughtfully designed water-wise landscape can improve the way a property looks, functions, and is maintained.
Lower Landscape Water Use
Xeriscaping reduces the amount of water needed to maintain the property by replacing high-water areas with plants and materials suited to Colorado’s dry climate. New plants still need consistent watering while they become established. But once their roots develop, drought-tolerant plants can typically thrive with less supplemental irrigation than a traditional lawn.
A well-planned irrigation layout also helps deliver water more precisely, avoiding waste in unused sections of the yard.
Less Mowing and Routine Lawn Care
A xeriscape replaces the constant cycle of mowing, edging, fertilizing, and repairing turf with a more seasonal rhythm of care. Once established, the landscape typically needs periodic weeding, selective pruning, mulch touch-ups, and spring or fall cleanup. The yard still requires attention, but it is easier to keep polished without the same week-to-week workload.
Westside Grounds also offers landscape maintenance services, so you can enjoy a polished xeriscape without giving up your own time to keep it that way.
Better Performance in Colorado’s Dry Climate
Xeriscaping uses plants that are better suited to Denver and Lakewood’s limited rainfall, intense sun, and dry periods. Because the landscape is adapted to local conditions, plants are less likely to struggle during hot stretches or require constant attention. This can create a healthier, more reliable yard that uses water more efficiently throughout the growing season.
FAQs
How Much Does Xeriscape Design Services in Denver Cost?
The cost depends on how much of the property is being changed and what must happen before planting begins.
Removing a small section of accessible lawn and installing young plants with mulch typically costs less than rebuilding an entire front yard with grading, irrigation changes, mature trees, decorative stone, walkways, or retaining walls.
Important pricing factors include:
- The size of the conversion,
- Site preparation,
- Irrigation work,
- Plants and materials, and
- Hardscape features.
A site visit is the most reliable way to price the work. Homeowners can also phase the project, beginning with the least useful section of lawn and expanding the design later.
Does Denver Water Offer Rebates or Incentives for Xeriscaping?
Denver Water currently offers some outdoor water-efficiency incentives, but homeowners should verify availability before making project decisions.
Its residential rebate program lists rebates of up to $3 per qualifying rotary or high-efficiency sprinkler nozzle. You can also visit their website to find water-efficiency tips for both indoor and outdoor use.
What Is the Difference Between Xeriscaping and Traditional Landscaping in Colorado?
Traditional landscaping often begins with a large lawn and adds planting beds around its edges. Xeriscaping starts by deciding how each part of the property should function and how much water that area reasonably needs.
A xeriscape may still contain lawn, but turf is reserved for useful spaces rather than treated as the default ground cover. Plants are grouped by water needs, irrigation is divided into appropriate zones, and mulch helps limit evaporation. Traditional landscapes can also use these practices, but water efficiency is a central design requirement in xeriscaping.
The difference is not a choice between a green yard and a dry yard. It is the difference between routinely watering the entire property the same way and designing each area around its conditions and purpose.
Can You Xeriscape a Front Yard in Denver and Still Have It Look Attractive?
Yes. A front-yard xeriscape can look polished and welcoming when plants, mulch, stone, and walkways are arranged with a clear design. Using repeated plant groupings, defined bed lines, and a mix of heights and textures helps the yard feel intentional rather than sparse. The result can reduce water use while still complementing the home and the surrounding neighborhood.
What Are the Best Drought-Tolerant Plants for a Denver Xeriscape?
A strong Denver xeriscape combines low-water grasses, flowering perennials, and shrubs that can handle Colorado’s sun and dry periods. Good options include:
- Native and drought-tolerant grasses. Blue grama, Colorado’s state grass, adds fine texture and movement to planting beds. Buffalograss can provide a lower-water alternative for turf areas that receive light to moderate use.
- Long-blooming flowers. Penstemon, yarrow, blanket flower, chocolate flower, and hummingbird mint can provide color through the summer heat. Mixing plants with different bloom times keeps the landscape interesting throughout the growing season.
- Shrubs for structure. Rabbitbrush, fernbush, and three-leaf sumac add height, shape, fragrance, and seasonal interest. They can also anchor planting beds so the landscape does not look flat or unfinished.
The right mix still depends on the property. A plant that thrives in sandy soil near the foothills may struggle in Lakewood’s heavier clay, so Westside Grounds builds each plant palette around the yard’s soil, sunlight, drainage, and available space.
Contact Westside Grounds and Learn About Our Xeriscaping Services in Denver and Lakewood
A successful water-wise yard should reduce unnecessary lawn care without leaving the property bare or difficult to use. Westside Grounds can help you decide where turf still makes sense, which areas should be converted, and how plants, irrigation, mulch, drainage, and hardscape can work together.
Our specialized crews arrive in clean, branded vehicles with equipment that is maintained daily. Westside Grounds also emphasizes professional uniformed personnel, responsive service, and quality-control reporting throughout its grounds and landscape work.
Contact Westside Grounds to discuss your property, priorities, and budget. We can design and install a drought-tolerant landscape that fits the conditions in Denver and Lakewood while giving you an outdoor space that remains attractive, functional, and easier to maintain.
References Used to Inform This Page
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