Frequently Asked Questions

Yes and no.

I would love to share the joy of a wonderful garden and if it were that easy, I would happily do it all the time.

I have developed lists of tough plants that our local deer don’t like but getting them in the right place is critical. You have to dig in the soil to see if it is rocky and dry or packed clay or perfect loam; the plants will be different based on that.

Water is possibly the most important determinant of success in our location and that means considering slope, aspect (which way a site faces), and always irrigation. The latter typically involves testing existing systems, setting the levels correctly with new plants, observation and adjustment over time as plants mature and during different weather patterns. It usually means trouble-shooting in subsequent seasons with an irrigation specialist or skilled homeowner.

Acquiring the plants is an increasing challenge. Nurseries have faced serious losses with our hail storms and increased demand during the pandemic; both have resulted in less predictable stock at all nurseries. That means deciding whether and if to make substitutions, search elsewhere, or wait; and this does takes a certain amount of knowledge and time.

In short, a ‘quick consult’ isn’t realistic or effective. However if you have the ability and willingness to learn and realistic expectations, a consult can be a starting place to develop a truly gratifying landscape.

We really enjoy working with DIY clients, but we don’t want to mislead anyone that a quick ‘one and done’ is going to land your place on the cover of a magazine. Call us to discuss.

Of course you can!   In fact this is probably the best approach to most major undertakings.  Certainly there are definite advantages to improving your landscape in phases.

The principle advantage is that you get to learn from plant performance, and then adapt.

For example, if only the most drought-tolerant of your plants are thriving, it may be that your site is hotter than you anticipated or your irrigation doesn’t perform as anticipated. With a gradual approach, you can then decide whether to go farther in the very xeric direction or to change the number and type of plantings and water those more.

If you didn’t know much about the plants before install, with a gradual approach you can learn which ones you love, and focus your next phase on more of those.

Many people find the gradual approach easier on the wallet, and really enjoy the process of learning and participating in their garden’s development.

The disadvantages of a phased-in approach may be especially for those who don’t want a lot of involvement. If you are looking for a lower-maintenance option, the ongoing development and plant consideration may not appeal to you.

Additionally, you may prefer the approach of a strict one-time budget and be happy with a more limited range of plants and a finite end to the process, other than necessary maintenance.

Either way works well; it’s mostly personal preference.

This is actually one of the hardest questions because there is SO much conflicting information. Like real estate, the answer is location, location, location.

Experts who oppose mulch often are in areas that receive significant rainfall and/or they are reacting to consumers using the wrong kind or too much. See this post for more detail on mulch; it’s really important in Colorado.

In short, do mulch but get local arborist chips; these come from the interior of local trees (rather than exterior bark) and so usually still have some moisture in the wood that makes it heavy. Avoid bagged, colored bark (what are they hiding that they would spend the money to color it?) Avoid gorilla hair too.

Rocky Top Resources carries a non-dyed mulch that is screened, so the pieces are small and uniform. It’s called “natural fine tree” or you can get free unscreened mulch from arborist trucks or the city. See the Blog section for more detail.