In 1981, Denver Water joined the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and other green industry organizations to develop the nation's first Xeriscape demonstration garden.
Since the garden first opened to the public in 1982, it has nearly tripled in size to surround Denver Water’s administration building. Today there are more than 200 species of waterwise plants on display, including trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses and test plots of alternative turf grasses.
The garden is open to the public 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is located at Denver Water's Administration Building, 1600 West 12th Ave., Denver, 80254.
Many local cities and organizations have public Xeriscape gardens to help people learn about low-water-use landscaping. Nurseries, books and Web sites also have a wealth of information about successful Xeriscapes. The following resources can help get you started.
Aurora – Aurora Municipal Center Xeriscape Garden, northwest corner of Alameda Parkway and Chambers Road; and the Kuiper High Plains Garden, 14201 E. Hampden Ave.
Boulder – Boulder Creek Xeriscape Garden, Sixth and Canyon streets; Chautauqua Park Ranger Station; Boulder Energy Conservation Center, 17th and Walnut streets
Colorado Springs – Mesa Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 2855 Mesa Road; and the Cottonwood Creek Park Xeriscape Garden, 3920 Dublin Blvd.
Fort Collins – Fort Collins Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 300 LaPorte Ave. The garden has more than 100 plant species.
Longmont – The Quail Campus Xeriscape Garden, 310 Quail Road, Longmont. The 5,000-square-foot garden has four different low-water use grasses and 42 varieties of trees, shrubs and plants.
Loveland – Jeff Peterson Xeriscape Garden, northeast corner of First Street and Washington Avenue
Recommeded Reading List
- Bennett, Richard E and Michael S. Hazinski
Water-Efficient Landscape Guidelines - Birchfield, Emerson R.
The Flowering of Denver - Borland, James N., Sylvia Brockner and Jeanne R. Janish
Native Plants of Genesee - Brown-Folsom, Debra ...[et al.]
Dry Climate Gardening with Succulents - Brune, Rick
The Prairie Garden - Brenzel, Kathleen
Sunset Western Garden Book - City of Boulder, Colorado
Boulder Xeriscapes, Gardening with Our Climate - 1995, CD-ROM - Coates, Margaret
Perennials for the Western Garden - Colorado Nursery Association
The Rocky Mountain Perennial Plant Guide - Colorado Nurserymen's Association
Rocky Mountain Plant Guide
Colorado State University Extension, Service In Action Bulletins:
- Feucht, James R., Xeriscaping: Water Conservation Through Creative Landscaping, No. 7.228
- Feucht, James R., Xeriscaping: Trees And Shrubs For Low-water Landscapes, No. 7.229
- Feucht, James R., Xeriscaping: Ground Cover Plants For Low-water Landscapes, No. 7.230
- Feucht, James R., Xeriscaping: Garden Flowers For Low-water Landscapes, No. 7.231
- Feucht, James R., Xeriscaping: Turf and Ornamental Grasses For Low-water Landscapes, No. 7.232
- Feucht, James R., Wildflowers for Colorado Landscapes, No. 7.233
- Flowering Herbaceous Perennials for the High Plains. Technical Bulletin LTB 89-5, 1989
- Klett, J.E. and R. A. Cox, Ground Cover Plants, No. 7.401
- Klett, J.E. and R. A. Cox, Rock Garden Plants, No. 7.400
- Creasy, Rosalind
The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping - Ellefson, Connie, Tom Stephens and Doug Welsh
Xeriscape Gardening: Water Conservation for the American Landscape - Ellefson, Connie
Xeriscape Colorado: The Complete Guide - Erickson, Jonathan
Saving Water in the Home & Garden - Ferguson, Nicola
Right Plant, Right Place - Feucht, James R. and Jack D. Butler
Landscape Management - Hakala, Sue
Drought Gardening - Huddleson, S. and M. Hussey
Grow Native: Landscaping With Native and Apt Plants of the Rocky Mountains - Johnson, Eric & Millard, Scott
The Low Water Flower Gardener - Knopf, Jim
The Xeriscape Flower Gardener: A Waterwise Guide for the Rocky Mountain Region - Landscaping for Water Conservation: Xeriscape!
Jointly published by the city of Aurora and Denver Water - Nelson, Ruth Ashton
The Handbook of Rocky Mountain Plants - Nehrling, Arno
Easy Gardening With Drought-Resistant Plants - O'Keefe, John M.
Water-Conserving Gardens and Landscapes - Ottesen, Carole
Ornamental Grasses – The Amber Wave - Perry, Bob.
Landscape Plants for Western Regions: An Illustrated Guide to Plants for Water Conservation - Phillips, Judith
Southwestern Landscaping with Native Plants
Natural by Design: Beauty and Balance in Southwest Gardens
Plants for Natural Gardens: Southwestern Native & Adaptive Trees, Shrubs, Wildflowers & Grasses - Phillips, Kathryn
Paradise By Design: Native Plants and the New American Landscape - Rumary, Mark
The Dry Garden - Springer, Lauren
The Undaunted Garden - Sunset New Western Garden Book
- Sunset Waterwise Gardening
- Taylor, Jane
Plants For Dry Climates
Taylor's Guide to Water-Saving Gardening - Thomas, Christopher
Water-Wise Gardening - Weinstein, Gayle
Xeriscape Handbook - Wheatly, Margaret
Successful Gardening with Limited Water - Williams, Sara
Creating the Prairie Xeriscape: Low-Maintenance, Water-Efficient Gardening
Beautiful Gardens With Less Water
32 minutes
Produced by: Sunset Films and Television
Lane Publishing Company
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Sunset Waterwise Gardening – Western Edition
32 minutes
Produced by:
Sunset Video
Lane Publishing Company
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Xeriscape – Appropriate Landscaping to Conserve Water
30 minutes
Produced by:
San Luis Video
P.O. Box 4604
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
Xeriscape – Landscaping to Save Water, Time and Money
18 minutes
Produced by:
Virginia Jensen and Fred Liljegren
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Water Resources
1636 West North Temple, Suite 310
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116
Your Own Back Yard
1 hour
Produced jointly by:
Denver Water & Linda Rea Productions