{"id":49683,"date":"2020-12-26T17:03:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-27T00:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/landscape-expert-offers-tips-for-sustainable-gardening-in-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2020-12-27T00:03:06","modified_gmt":"2020-12-27T00:03:06","slug":"landscape-expert-offers-tips-for-sustainable-gardening-in-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/landscape-expert-offers-tips-for-sustainable-gardening-in-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Landscape expert offers tips for sustainable gardening in Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"It\u2019s
It\u2019s not too early to start thinking about next year\u2019s garden \u2013 particularly when it comes to creating an environmentally sustainable space, says Ross Shrigley, executive director of Plant Select.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

It\u2019s not too soon to start thinking about next year\u2019s garden \u2013 particularly when it comes to creating an environmentally sustainable space.<\/p>\n

Ross Shrigley, executive director of Plant Select, offered key insights for homeowners interested in reimagining home landscaping during a recent climate change conference hosted by Durango Botanic Gardens.<\/p>\n

In a time of drought, a trowel can be a water conservation tool, but first, people should rethink what gardens are and how they add value to a home, Shrigley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m all about property values. I do know that, if there\u2019s going to be change, somebody has to come up with a very pleasing design that is very environmentally sustainable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Environmentally sustainable plants are non-invasive, use resources appropriately for the climate, and add diversity and food for the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Plant Select, a nonprofit collaboration of Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and professional horticulturists, helps connect homeowners with aesthetically pleasing plants that are environmentally suited to high plains and intermountain regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf everyone focuses on reducing water \u2013 that\u2019s going to set us on the clear path to sustainability,\u201d Shrigley said.<\/p>\n

Colorado\u2019s water needs are met by winter snowfall. They are increasingly strained by growing populations dependent on the Colorado River and by drought conditions.<\/p>\n

As of Dec. 8, the entire state had been experiencing abnormally dry conditions to exceptional drought. La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, Dolores and other counties in Southwest Colorado are in exceptional drought, the most severe of six drought levels, according to the United States Drought Monitor.<\/a><\/p>\n

This month, Colorado activated the municipal portion of its emergency drought plan \u2013 for the second time in history \u2013 as cities start to prepare for a \u201cdangerously dry 2021,\u201d The Colorado Sun reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cReduced watering is really going to affect climate change,\u201d Shrigley said during the virtual conference. \u201cIf you start to think about what we shouldn\u2019t be doing, it\u2019s too overwhelming. \u2026 It\u2019s easy to say water once a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

To garden sustainably, homeowners can identify small unplanted, irrigated spaces in their landscape during the winter months, Shrigley told The Durango Herald<\/em> after the conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose awkward spaces that get irrigated waste water, and without plants, take away from the environment,\u201d Shrigley said.<\/p>\n

He recommended searching for plants that can survive with less water and filling those empty spaces with crevice or cactus gardens. Both the Audubon Society and Plant Select have searchable databases to help find the right garden addition, he said.<\/p>\n

Plant Select\u2019s 150-plus plant recommendations go through three-year trials to ensure they are non-invasive, disease-resistant, aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for dry climates.<\/p>\n

During the irrigation season, homeowners can turn on their sprinkler systems less frequently, about once a week, but for longer each time. The greater quantities of water will reach deep roots in the soil, and weeds will have less water to help them germinate on the surface, Shrigley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to try to keep the (irrigation) water on your property. It will save you water and the plants will do a lot better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One common misconception about sustainable gardens is they have to be rocks, open spaces and cacti.<\/p>\n

But gardens can use less water while adding value to the home with aesthetically pleasing plants, Shrigley said.<\/p>\n

Fruit-bearing trees are pollinator plants and can add diversity to the ecosystem, but they can also attract bears or other wildlife.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to overuse them,\u201d Shrigley said. \u201cYou want to be smart about using them.\u201d<\/p>\n

With careful plant selection, gardeners can attract wildlife, like hummingbirds and other pollinators, while deterring deer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should bring joy and happiness to homeowners. It\u2019s a matter of respect to the environment,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to give back. \u2026 If people look at it from those eyes, they\u2019ll enjoy the changes they\u2019re making.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 85 people attended the \u201cAdapting Landscapes in the Four Corners to a Changing Climate\u201d conference. The conference featured multiple speakers about environmental topics and was held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is helping people start \u2013 even in a small way \u2013 rethinking when they plant and their plant selection. All that\u2019s important in the beginning,\u201d said Bill LeMaire, Durango Botanic Gardens president.<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Select: It\u2019s possible to have attractive gardens while conserving water<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[738,28,29,295],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-49683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-environmental-issue","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter","tag-water"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49683"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=49683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}