This document provides resources and information about xeriscaping in western Colorado. It lists books, websites, and local gardens that showcase xeriscaping techniques. It also notes that the Delta Conservation District encourages water-wise landscaping due to the low average rainfall of 8-10 inches per year in the region. Xeriscaping provides several benefits including water, time, and cost savings while requiring less maintenance and inputs like fertilizer and pesticides.

1. Related Literature, Websites
and Sources
The Xeriscape Flower Gardener, by Jim Knopf Delta
Xeriscape Colorado: The Complete Guide, by
Connie Lockhart Ellefson Conservation
Xeriscape Plant Guide, by Denver Water
There are several
Xeriscape© demonstration
Waterwise Landscaping with Trees, Shrubs and District
Vines by Jim Knopf
gardens in the vicinity High and Dry—Gardening with Cold Hardy
Conserving Colorado’s Natural Resources
Dryland Plants, by Robert Nold
Montrose Botanical Garden, 1800 www.WesternSlopeGardening.XericLinks.html
Pavilion Drive, Montrose, Colorado www.coloradogardening.com/drought.htm
www.xeriscape.org
Mesa County Arboretum, 2775 Hwy www.highcountrygardens.com
50, Grand Junction, Colorado CSU Extension at Montrose, GUIDE TO XERISCAPE© IN
1001 Friendship Hall 970.249.3935 WESTERN COLORADO
Arboretum at Western Colorado
Research Center, 30624 Highway
92, Rogers Mesa, Colorado
The Fort at Confluence Park ,
205 Gunnison River Dr.
Delta Conservation District
690 Industrial Blvd
Delta, Colorado 81416
Phone: 970.874.5735
Website: deltacd.net
Delta Conservation
District

2. xeriscape©
The Many Benefits of Xeriscape©:
Nurseries
We live in the desert here in • Saves Water, Time and Money
western Colorado. The Delta There are several local nurser-
Conservation District highly en- • Requires Less Maintenance ies that specialize in native and
courages the use of water-wise drought-tolerant landscape
landscaping known as • Requires Less Fertilizer and Pesti- plants. Check your phone book
Xeriscaping©. cide under nursery listings and ask if
the nursery specializes in
Our average rain fall • Improves Property Values
here is between 8-10 inches per Xeriscape©
year. A typical bluegrass lawn • Requires Less Fossil Fuels
requires 30 additional inches of
water to survive here in western • Provides Wildlife Habitat
Colorado, not to mention the Education
pesticides, fertilizers, fossil fuels • Results in less runoff of irrigation
and elbow grease to keep it Attend Xeriscape© classes at
laden with fertilizers, pesticides, salts
green. Delta Montrose Technical Col-
and selenium
lege 1765 Hwy 50, Delta, Colo-
Xeriscape© is a patented name rado 970.874.7671
• Plants adapted to local conditions
that stands for water-conserving
landscapes. The concept of are more resistant to insects and
Xeriscape© is based on seven diseases
principles: planning & design,
limiting turf areas, selecting and
zoning plants appropriately, im-
proving the soil, using mulches,
Delta Conservation District
irrigating efficiently, and doing
690 Industrial Blvd
appropriate maintenance. Xeris- Delta, Colorado 81416
cape© is not ugly, brown rocks
and black plastic. A properly-
Phone: 970.874.5735
designed Xeriscape© can be Website: deltacd.net
beautiful and even more inter-
esting than a water-loving land-
scape.