We spoke with Felicia of Fort Collins, who’s been curating her waterwise landscape since 2016 with the help of Resource Central’s Garden In A Box and Waterwise Yard Seminar programs. She shares lessons learned, helpful advice, and encouragement for those thinking of making the change in their landscape.

After Felicia moved to Colorado from New York, she quickly found out that she’d have to relearn how to garden in our semi arid climate. “Out there, you don’t have to irrigate, and it’s actually very easy to plant things.” After realizing how much water went into maintaining her grass lawn, Felicia came to the same realization as many Coloradans, “It makes no sense. If you have to irrigate the lawn, why have it? I’m wasting water irrigating a lawn that I don’t even like.”

Feeling inspired to make a change, Felicia began by researching plants that were regionally appropriate. “I was really focused on finding plants that would tolerate limited, or zero, irrigation. I was trying to go as dry as possible.” Her research led her to Resource Central. “I watched a lot of webinars initially to get started, and purchased my first Garden In A Box.”

Converting her entire yard was a years-long process, and one that is still ongoing. “There’s areas where things don’t do well, and I’d have to go back and replant. I’m installing new plants as others die, and installing more native species.” Over the years, Felicia has been successful in converting her entire yard into a drought-tolerant oasis.

But this journey was not without its challenges. “I thought that once I got the plants in, I wouldn’t have to do much. That’s not been the case.” Combatting weeds turned out to be one of the biggest challenges, but one with an easy solution. “At first I had islands of mulch. But the more densely I planted, the less weed pressure there was”.

Irrigation, the very thing Felicia wanted to avoid, became a sticking point as well. After installing native plants in the parkway between the street and sidewalk, not a single plant survived the year. “We converted the irrigation to drip, and during that process, it turns out we punctured a line. They were waterwise plants that were getting way too much water, and with the lines buried, it took me a long time to find out why.”

Luckily, she found support wherever she turned. Her neighbors, who Felicia worried would be resistant to this change, actually ended up being her greatest supporters. “My neighbors have said that my project led the way for others to convert their lawns. They didn’t know what I was doing at first, and now they really love it!” By getting involved with groups like the Colorado Native Plant Society and Wild Ones Front Range, she was able to supplement her Garden In A Box kits with more native plants and seeds.

One of our favorite aspects of Felicia’s waterwise landscape is her unique example of adaptive reuse. After removing a cement patio in her backyard, she repurposed the concrete to create a DIY crevice garden. “Its just a great way to reuse some of the material you already have on your property. It’s super efficient, and sustainable!” She’s filled the spaces with cacti and other plants that thrive in dry, challenging spaces.

When asked what advice she had to share with prospective gardeners, Felicia said “I started gung-ho with the front, back, and side yard, really everything. I just wanted to get rid of grass, but then I realized “oh wow, this is overwhelming”. My advice would be to start small, and take a realistic approach on what you’re capable of giving to your property.” She decided that her front yard was underutilized, and that it would be the best starting point before tackling other parts of her yard.

This year, Felicia added a sign to her waterwise garden, touting her achievements with a simple message “Conserve today for tomorrow”. Despite the challenges, Felicia has found the process to be very rewarding, and one that she’d do all over again.

En Resource Central, creemos que juntos podemos construir un Waterwise (de bajo consumo de agua) resiliente y Waterwise (de bajo consumo de agua) mediante acciones locales a gran escala.

Las personas que aparecen en esta serie de entradas del blog no son más que una pequeña muestra del trabajo que están realizando tantos habitantes de Colorado para alcanzar ese objetivo. Así que, tanto si acabas de empezar a mejorar tu eficiencia hídrica, como si eres un jardinero experimentado en el uso de poco agua, o si estás leyendo este blog y descubres por primera vez Waterwise (de bajo consumo de agua) , gracias por unirte a nosotros para crear un Waterwise (de bajo consumo de agua) más Waterwise (de bajo consumo de agua) .

Are you interested in sharing your story or know of someone who would be great to feature? Email us with details!

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