It may surprise you, but this entire yard is xeriscape! The plants in this landscape are all well adapted to Colorado and grouped according to water need which makes the best use of water in the landscape. The turfgrass is a dwarf tall fescue and looks great with 2/3rds the water of traditional grass. A tip for large yards like this one is to plant in groups to create unity and interest and to choose larger xeric shrubs where possible to help reduce maintenance.

This front yard had more shade than Kentucky bluegrass can tolerate so a fine fescue mix was the better option. Fine fescue is a cool season grass, so it doesn't save as much as a warm season native grass like blugramma or buffalograss, but is a great option for shady areas. Fine fescue is easy to grow from seed, just plan on doing some weeding during establishment to get your fine fescue grass off to a good start. Once established, this grass will use about one third less water than bluegrass.

Xeriscape is a great opportunity to showcase plants with different colors and textures. This yard uses ornamental trees, evergreen shrubs, striking ornamental grasses and a native grass lawn to breathe life into a yard that used to be all Kentucky bluegrass. The parkway strip is home to the existing juniper that has been partnered with large maiden grasses and a pathway which accommodates foot traffic from the street parking. A native grass turf covers about half of the remaining yard with planting beds around the perimeter that feature low water perennials, grasses and groundcovers.