The word garden gets it’s meaning from the person who enjoys it. It is more than just a plot of land sectioned off from the back yard with the purpose of producing fruits, flowers or vegetables. The garden is a piece of mind at the end of a 60-hour workweek. It is a living art exhibit. It is a playground. It is an outdoor dining room with the moon as its chandelier.
Spring is upon us. It is that ephemeral time of year when we need to start brainstorming our own definition of garden. What will you see when you look out over the back porch this summer? Will it be a red stone walkway or a new waterfall with a koi pond beneath it? Will it be tomato plants and strawberries or picnic benches and Tiki Torches? Decide now so that we can enjoy the garden as long as possible this year.
The path toward the perfect garden starts with being honest with one’s self. Whether we want to admit it or not, time has become the most precious of commodities in this fast paced world. How much time can someone with two kids and a career dedicate to gardening? Even if you are a recreational gardener, don’t be afraid to admit that the clock has you penned down.
“Many homeowners can do some landscaping on their own and it gives them great pleasure,” says Brian Holt, the owner of Trinity Landscaping in Aurora. “But I have found that most people today don’t have all the time that it takes to do a great landscape.”
Lack of experience may also be a limiting factor when facing any backyard project. Colorado’s environment has characteristics that take special consideration when creating a garden. In 2007, Holt was hired to build a garden at a home in Castle Pines where erosion and drainage had become a serious problem. The project would later earn him the Excellence in Landscape award from the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.
“Heavy rain would wash down this native hillside and run across the street, flooding the neighbor’s yard,” explains Holt. “Further complicating the project, the back yard had nowhere to properly drain and it would flood this area.” Erosion control is a typical obstacle in many back yards. There is a certain art behind finding a solution that is practical, yet complimenting of the landscape.
“I suggested that we would make this area into a beautiful landscape mixed with trees, shrubs, perennials, roses and annuals … with a waterfall feature down the center, using big boulders to hold the hill, stopping erosion and flooding,” said Holt. “I also installed two large drainage pipes under the waterfall that connected to the street drains.” His plan worked, where others had failed, in stopping the water from flooding through the backyard.
After creating the waterfall, Holt refocused his attention to choosing plants for the Castle Pines home. For the recreational gardener, finding the right plants can seem like an arduous task. Walking into a greenhouse without an idea of what to buy can be overwhelming simply because of the wide selection. When Holt is picking vegetation for a back yard, he takes into account what plants do best in wet areas, dry areas, sun or shade, and what blends with the natural Colorado landscape.
Holt also likes to use plants that will bloom in rotation year around. He does this by planting spring bulbs, summer annuals, fall flowering shrubs and winter evergreens.
“One of the best plants for your money is the hardy tansy, which comes in an array of colors and mixes,” says Holt. “And when planted in the fall they give you great color that will bloom even throughout the coldest winters and explode again (with color) in the spring.” With constant flowering in a garden, any landscape will standout – even during the doldrums of summer and winter. Caution must be taken, however, because the tansy is viewed as a weed by some, which can race out of control.
To prepare for the plants, soil preparation might also be necessary to nurture hearty growth. Soils differ greatly along the Front Range. Adding fertilizers, coupled with the proper amount of soil churning, can create a garden that has longevity. Holt took his time in Castle Pines to get the perfect ground composition for the plants that he picked.
“I gave special attention to proper soil prep, adding great quantities of compost, planter’s mix, fertilizers and trace elements,” said Holt. “All of it was hand spaded or rototilled.”
When choosing a professional landscaper to create a garden, you should interview the person who will oversee the project. It’s imperative to see eye to eye with anyone that you are entrusting the back yard with.
“A true Colorado professional landscaper will know what grows best here in our Colorado climate,” says Holt.
Most landscapers will also be willing to work in increments if the budget is limited. It is better to spend money on your garden in phases instead of trying to stretch it out. The results will speak for themselves with a little patience.
Over a career that has spanned decades, Holt has been able to gauge success, not through profit, but through the enjoyment that clients get out of their gardens. Holt says, “After a job has been completed by a professional, even an amateur gardener will be happy because the hard work has been done for them and they can just play – they love it!”
Casey Cisneros is a Loveland-based freelance writer.
