Some home improvement projects are simply more fun than others. Welcome to springtime in Colorado. Whether it’s hired out or done by the sweat of your brow, landscaping provides instant gratification.
Creativity is the name of the game, especially in the outdoors, where this year’s whim and fancy can be scrapped and recreated next spring.
Here are ideas from the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC). Each year, its members identify the top landscape and garden trends. This year’s trends involve keeping things local – from the food you grow in your garden to the entertaining you do in your backyard.
1. Eat locally – out of your own backyard. The momentum for kitchen gardening that started a couple years ago is even stronger as more plants and ways to grow them are available. Plant vegetables throughout your landscape as long as their needs for water and sun are compatible.
2. Insert Your Address Here – is your most affordable vacation destination. With the current economy, many folks are choosing the cozy comforts of home over expensive getaways. Enjoy the tranquility of an Asian garden or the formality of an English estate. Turn your backyard into your own stay-cation. With Colorado’s 300-plus days of sunshine, outdoor living areas can be enjoyed all year as places to kick back, entertain, enjoy and escape.
3. Greening up your landscape. Earth-friendly landscape design and maintenance are stronger than ever. Homeowners want less area to water and maintain and are installing sprinkler systems that operate only when water is needed.
4. For annual color, vast, opulent displays are long gone. For trends in container gardening, look for strategically placed annual flowers for maximum pop. Also look for flower varieties in new combinations that are planted in attention-grabbing containers.
5. Water features are now for everyone. Once a luxury, it is common practice for homeowners to request water features. Coveted for their practicality as much as their aesthetic qualities, water features buffer street traffic, provide ambience and can feature plants that only grow in water – like water lilies. With proper design and installation, they also serve as a water conserving element.
6. Whether it’s your wardrobe or your yard, fashion basics never go out of style. Lush grass that is well maintained through aeration, fertilizer and regular mowing is a timeless standard, as are neatly pruned trees and shrubs. A colorful palette of flowers and foliage — like any good accessory — makes an eye-catching statement.
7. Light it up. Night lighting that highlights your house and landscape is one of the fastest-growing landscape innovations. Not only does it look great, but it increases home security. And new fluorescent and LED lighting options mean using less electricity. LEDs even come in multiple colors, adding variety.
8. Save money by doing it right the first time. Homeowners who are watching dollars closely are wary of quick, cheap fixes that are short lived. Find the right professional contractor for the job and use durable products that enhance property values, provide ease of maintenance and save money.
9. ‘Curb appeal’ gives your home a competitive sales advantage. According to a home sale study in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, high-quality landscaping increased home sales prices anywhere from 5.7 to 10.8 percent. Research shows that every $1 spent on landscape returns $1.35. Smart sellers know first impressions are crucial and the best way to improve the first impression is to improve its curb appeal.
10. Gardening with a purpose. Whether planting a kitchen garden to harvest varieties of herbs, creating a meditation garden or designing a yard to attract more wildlife or to be more user-friendly to the family dog, gardening with a purpose is here to stay.
11. Mother Nature’s AC is A-OK. Trees are nature’s canopies for providing shade. An investment in trees provides many returns, including cooling our homes, reducing summer energy costs and improving landscape aesthetics and curb appeal. Before planting a shade tree, be sure to pick one that grows best in Colorado’s arid climate and check that you have enough space as the tree matures – including space for roots.
With more than 700 members across the state, the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado is the premier organization for Colorado’s landscape contractors. ALCC has been at the forefront for more than 40 years of helping the landscape industry address Colorado’s unique climate. To find a landscape professional or subscribe to ALCC’s lawn and garden “tip of the week,” visit www.alcc.com.
Photo cutline:
Lindgren Landscape & Irrigation created this gorgeous setting at a Windsor home, providing comfortable outdoor space day or night. Photo by Steve Glass of Glass Photography.
