Sustainability Spotlight - July 2022 - Go Green With Your Yard

You may notice more planting variety in yards around Wheat Ridge as residents swap traditional turf lawns for more interesting, low maintenance and locally appropriate options. Traditional turf lawns are not native to Colorado and therefore require significant water, synthetic chemicals, and constant mowing to maintain a desired look. Instead, residents are happily discovering that locally appropriate options are much easier to maintain and offer significant savings in water, time, and cost. If you’re interested in making a change, here are some options:

Clover Lawn:

If you still want to keep the look of a green lawn without the hassle of constant watering and mowing, consider adding clover to your lawn. Clover not only stays green year-round, it also takes nitrogen from the air and fixes it into the soil, acting as an integral fertilizer and naturally improving the soil. Additionally, it is not affected by pet urine, resists blight and mildew, does not need herbicides or pesticides and rarely needs to be mowed.

Note that there are several different varieties of clover so be sure to do a bit of homework to determine which is best for you. While Dutch White Clover is the most common, some other varietals like Microclover can better stand up to the wear and tear of heavy foot traffic. To start a clover lawn, simply add clover seed to your existing lawn a little bit at a time after mowing. The clover will mix with the turf and may eventually take over completely. To achieve a faster result, you can also add clover seed during the core aeration process or after digging up your lawn.

Native Plants:

If you would like to add more variety to your yard, remove portions of your lawn altogether and replace them with native plants. According to CSU Extension’s Sustainable Landscape Master Program, native plants will live longer with much less maintenance than non-native plants and turf. They require little water, restore balance with our natural insect population, foster pollinators and replace some of the native habitat that has been lost with development. As a bonus, they additionally create a sense of place, helping our neighborhoods reflect our unique Western location.

Fortunately, there are great resources available to help you get a professional look without the research. The Garden in a Box program through Resource Central provides a variety of waterwise native plant kits tailor-made for Colorado yards that have been curated by experts from the Botanic Gardens and CSU Extension Office. Every Fall and Spring, they come out with new offerings and provide plant-by-number maps, seasonal maintenance suggestions and watering instructions. Boxes are currently on sale for pickup in late August or early September. Wheat Ridge Residents can get a $25 rebate through the City of Wheat Ridge while supplies last through the Resource Central website.