|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, January 10, 2023 02:00 AM |
|
Aurora Water anticipates Stage 1 Drought Restrictions for 2023 irrigation season
By Adam Waters, Water Conservation Specialist at City of Aurora/Aurora Water
Amid the worst drought in 1,200 years, reservoirs in the western U.S. are being pushed to the brink. Years of dwindling precipitation, soil aridification and growth in demand mean a year of average, or even above average, mountain snowpack won’t bring the region out of its current water crisis. While Aurora Water’s reservoirs are faring better than some others, they started the new year at just 55% of their combined storage capacity.
In these situations, Aurora turns to its Water Management Plan (WMP) for measures to ensure the sustainability of its water resources. With drought lingering and lackluster snowpack forecasted, Aurora Water will ask Aurora City Council to approve a Stage 1 Drought Declaration for the 2023 irrigation season. Stage 1 drought aims to reduce outdoor water usage by 20%, primarily through increased enforcement of water waste violations and firmer user irrigation restrictions.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, January 10, 2023 01:00 AM |
|
Leprechaun southernwood provides texture and wildlife resistance
Contributed by Ross Shrigley and Bev Shaw for Plant Select®
It’s been said by Robin Sharma that “simplicity is the trademark of genius.” Leprechaun southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum ‘Leprechaun’) is the epitome of that trademark for landscapes in the intermountain region. Even as rabbits and deer are becoming a wildlife staple in neighborhoods, they won’t eat Leprechaun southernwood!
Interestingly, in the Victorian era, this clean-scented, slightly citrus-smelling plant was included in handheld bouquets to mask overripe body odors of the day. Its pleasant, fine green texture enhanced the bouquets, acting as floral filler and showcasing other flowers in the arrangement. We have now found other uses for Leprechaun’s scent, though discouraging herbivory is an important asset.
Look at a perennial border and imagine the enhanced presentation Leprechaun southernwood could make with its fine, airy texture and dark green coloration behind all the vibrant flowers. Combine it with groupings of Undaunted® ruby muhly grass to set off those red seed heads. This woody perennial behaves more like a shrub and can also be used as an informal or formal hedge by shearing it. Every fall, be sure to its sheared back to 4 inches. This annual maintenance practice will encourage the presentation of fresh emerald green growth each spring, while allowing space for a carpet of early spring flowering bulbs to bloom at its base.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, December 27, 2022 04:00 AM |
|
Tom Delaney has been with Rocky Mountain Trees & Landscaping since 1989. During that time, he has been on almost every crew, starting from entry level and working his way up. Now and for several years, he has been the company’s the go-to irrigation tech.
Delaney knows the irrigation systems of Rocky Mountain Trees’ clients inside and out, having installed many of them himself. Many clients only trust Delaney to service their irrigation systems.
During the 2022 season, Delaney was the only irrigation tech for Rocky Mountain Trees. In addition to being the sole tech, he has also assisted some of the maintenance crews, often weeding and pruning when on-site at clients’ homes for irrigation checks. He also coordinates with other crews on installations, trains staff on mowing and shares tips of the trade. It seems like Delaney is everywhere – and what sets him apart is that no one had to ask him to do any of these things.
Delaney brings a level of detail about drought awareness to clients when setting controllers. He often says his plan is to “keep the water use in our landscapes just on the edge of dryness so they are more drought resilient.”
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, December 27, 2022 03:00 AM |
|
Dustin Dayton has moved through the ranks since starting with Zak George Landscaping (ZGL) in 2012 as a maintenance crew member. He moved to maintenance crew leader then on to a maintenance field operations supervisor position, then maintenance operations manager. In 2021, the company needed a full-time fleet manager, and called upon Dayton to fill that role. He is also the company’s snow commander. All in all, Dustin oversees 10 maintenance crews, three junior supervisors, three in-house mechanics, over 300 small engines, and many trucks and trailers.
Dayton is respected by his entire team and a great resource for the leadership team to rely on for anything at ZGL. He sends multiple forms of media to his team including professional coaching and podcasts to inspire them to improve as people. Dayton portrays a very kind-mannered way of supervision. He understands their job and knows how they would like to be treated.
The retention rate in the maintenance department that Dayton oversees is incredibly high compared to the industry standard – several employees with more than 5 or 10 years of service. This is due to Dayton’s coaching and teaching.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, December 27, 2022 02:00 AM |
|
Char Farley Chacon has been with Designscapes Colorado since 2001, starting out as a team administrator, and progressing to her current position as Residential Team Manager over the past 20 years.
Chacon demonstrates exceptional customer service with our clients and treats every employee with kindness and compassion. She is always producing the highest quality of work, which inspires others to do their best. She is dependable, responsible, empathetic, trustworthy and excellent at actively listening. The door is always open to Char’s office.
In her desire to give back to the community, Chacon introduced the “Angels Among Us” program to the company. This program provides Christmas presents to children in need, and the company received an ELITE Award in 2021 for their work on this program. She also was a huge contributor in building and maintaining the Moonbeam Gardens at Clayton Early Learning, a program which provides healthy, fresh food to children, their families, and the community that are located within a food desert.
Chacon’s co-workers describe her as “the heart and soul of Designscapes Colorado.” She sets the standard for every employee and has set the bar high.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 04:00 AM |
|
In October, the 2022 Hardscape North America (HNA) Awards ceremony was held at the Kentucky Exposition Center. These awards recognize top residential and commercial hardscape projects including walkways, patios, outdoor living spaces and kitchens, driveways as well as commercial plazas and streets.
Congratulations to Colorado's American Design & Landscape for their Outdoor Living Features award for Wolverine Kitchen in Parker. View more HNA awards: 2022 HNA Awards Winners and Honorable Mention Recipients Announced
Read more
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 03:00 AM |
|
Tom Handy has been in the industry for 37 years. Before managing the irrigation service department at NationScapes, he was employed by a company acquired by NationScapes.
Under Handy’s leadership, the irrigation service department has grown from approximately $1 million to almost $2.4 million in revenue in two years. Furthermore, his dedication to efficiency has raised the gross margin from 46% to more than 55% in two years.
Known for his leadership, dedication and professionalism, Handy will never leave someone in the field to struggle. He will rally the entire field team to a small residential service repair at 7 p.m. to help someone who is struggling. He routinely spends time with customer service representatives training them on technical aspects of sprinklers so that we can provide the highest level of service to customers during phone interactions.
In addition to his many contributions to the company, Handy is also active in his community. Last winter, he spearheaded an effort to organize and collect goods to assist victims of the Marshall fires.
Read More
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 02:00 AM |
|
Colby Woodvine is a surveyor at Phase One Landscapes, Inc. The company upgraded its technology in surveying, utilizing a Top Con LN-150 instrument. This made the survey operations a one-person job – that one person was Woodvine. He’s anchored every survey that came in this year.
This task is even more daunting because Phase One’s average project size had increased, and Woodvine has been very busy gathering data and making base plans. The job is grueling and isolating, but he helped Phase One meet goals halfway through this year. In addition, Woodvine also does the 3D modeling and hand renders graphics.
Phase One says Woodvine leads by example. He sets the tone in the Monday Morning Meeting – where he learns what surveys, models, or renderings he is assigned for the week and prioritizes them. He never complains about increased workload and gets the job done. He’s a key ingredient in Phase One’s recipe for success.
Read More
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Kate Brocata
|
|
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 04:00 AM |
|
How Yampa Valley reshapes local landscaping
By Kate Brocata
Residents of the arid mountain West in the Yampa Valley, it’s no secret that we are facing devastating impacts caused by a historically unprecedented 23-year drought. Despite a strong monsoon season that brought relief to much of our region, we are far from drought recovery.
Routt County, home to Steamboat Ski Resort, sits at the headwaters of the Colorado River with the Yampa River at the heart of our communities. However, being at the headwaters doesn’t mean the region is free from drought impacts. Agricultural producers suffered 70-90% reduction in hay and alfalfa yields in 2021 due to extended drought. For the past three summers, the Yampa River was closed to recreational uses due to high stream temperatures caused by low flows. River closures and use restrictions place burdens on the region’s already economically strained recreation and tourism industries.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Jessi Burg
|
|
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 03:00 AM |
|
Confessions of a serial entrepreneur
By Jessi Burg
I have started two successful companies over the past five years, and I’ve learned that growing a successful business means following the money. You have to ask yourself: “What are my client’s currently paying for, what else are they willing to pay for and how does that overlap with the work I want to do?”
I opened my first business, Soe Harvest, in 2017, planning to teach people how to grow vegetables in their garden. This rapidly became overall garden maintenance, followed by working with clients to incorporate more sustainable and edible plants into their landscapes. Three years later, my vegetable garden coaching business had turned into Pears to Perennials, a design/build and maintenance company focusing on sustainable landscaping. I sold it in 2021.
My current business, Outgrow Your Garage, was started in 2021 and has followed a similar trajectory. What began as a direct- to-business consulting company has become an on-demand business development program. At the beginning, my clients were mostly existing trades and service companies looking to solve specific problems. Soon, I needed programs my clients could work through on their own. This segued into working with other consultants, nonprofits and business coaches to create business education that could be used by any small business — whether my clients or someone else’s.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Christy Eull
|
|
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 02:00 AM |
|
Waterwise creates positive experiences for clients and employees
Waterwise Land & Waterscapes, Inc., Fort Collins, with its 100-plus-years of combined experience, serves a range or clients from small residential properties to million-dollar developments. The company provides landscape design, build, maintenance, construction and management services, and prides itself both on providing positive experiences for clients and valuing each crew member on every project.
When owner Lorin Bridger started his company in 2001, he had one truck, one small trailer and a lot of passion. His passion then and now is to improve people’s well-being with tailored environments. Bridger’s goal is to inspire other people’s passion for outdoor living by creating change through natural material projects.
Bridger’s company culture grew multi-fold from this passion. “As a company we care about each other,” he says. “We make it a priority to be sure all are enjoying their days while doing quality work. Our culture is one where we do right by each other to help make the quality of life, for our clients, better through landscape.
Waterwise wants to guide clients into landscapes that maximize use of natural resources, honor budgets, are creative and have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. “We are creating ecologically minded projects” shares Bridger.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Written by Todd Hartman at Denver Water
|
|
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 01:00 AM |
|
Erratic water year for Denver
According to state climatologists, Colorado's summer or 2022 was the sixth warmest in the 128-year maintained record. Although, the summer was warm, Denver Water reported in its Denver Water Tap series that the 2022 water year (October 1 - September 30) was erratic. Colorado had a good water in year in the higher elevations and much drier one in Denver and nearby suburbs.
Read the full article by Todd Hartman, Denver Water, and see graphs of historic temperatures and precipitation here.
|
|
Written by Colorado Green NOW
|
|
Wednesday, November 09, 2022 04:00 AM |
|
Plant lovers, don't miss
CSU planting containers for sale
CSU has 635 20-inch Brunello rolled-rim planters/pots made from 100% polyethylene with a “weathered terracotta” appearance. Though purchased in 2000 and used in CSU Flower Trials they are in excellent condition. The bottom of each pot has a small eye bolt attached used to anchor it into the ground.
Price: $10/container or $5,000 for all 635 containers. If interested, contact: Jim Klett at 970-218-0104 or [email protected].
|
|
|
