English Cottage

Includes lots and lots of color! Flowers fill the entire landscape with abundance of colors during the spring and summer. Minimal open space. Additional containers with annuals add more dimension and colors. Planters and path materials are natural materials and are curved, not straight lines.

Desert/ Southwest

Focus on low-water plants with lots of cactus and succulents. Plantings are more sparse but have lots of textures and shapes. Design incorporates lots of boulders, rocks, and crushed gravel. Artistic elements include containers and fountains with abundance of color and texture to give dimension to the landscape.

Xeric/ Low-Water

Focus on low-water plants and trees, adaptable to drought conditions. Plantings can still be very colorful and full, with a variety of textures and sytles. Design can be formal or informal, and incorporates native and non-native plants, boulders, rocks, and crushed gravel. Optional hardscape elements such as patios, walkways, and river beds  give texture and dimension to the landscape. Suggestions for turf-alternatives are common for xeric designs.

Modern/ Formal 

Emphasis on streamlined, sleek designs. Focus is on repitition of plants with varying texture and size as opposed to large quanitities of plants. Formal, regular shaped walkways and planters help define different areas of the landscape. Planting beds are linear and symmetrical.

Traditional

A more relaxed landscape style with emphasis on the functional use of the outdoor space. These designs are still ordered and colorful, but add in features such as fireplaces, vegetables gardens, and kids play areas. Materials can be regular or irregular shapes, but are never formal. Plant selection is varied and not required to follow a particular style.

CO Native/ Pollinator-Friendly

While not a design style by itself, this is often a desired trait for our clients' home landscapes. The focus is on plants that do well with our local climate and soil conditions. Native plants require less water than non-native plants and rarely require additional fertilizer or soil amendments. They are more likely to attractive pollinators, such as birds, butterflies, and bees  and provides winter habitat and protection for a variety of beneficial insects. 

The design style can be either formal, traditional or modern. The focus is on selection of native plants and then these plants can be arranged to suit a specific style by combining height, color, texture, repetition, etc. 

Homeowners can choose either their entire yard or just select garden beds to be CO native or pollinator-friendly. However, they do need to be mixed in with other low water/ xeric plants (native or not) to keep the watering requirements the same.