Drought tips & yard awards

Sunny weather is upon us! That means our yards and gardens are excitedly anticipating the TLC and attention we’ll start giving them. With the dry winter we’re coming out of it’s a great time to look at drought resistant yard and garden strategies. Drought resistant can me bright, colorful and beautiful. It does not have to mean rocks and cactus. Xeriscape (pronounced “ziri-scape”) simply means using drought-resistant plants.
Drought Tips
The Monticello Parks & Beautification committee is here to share some simple tips while getting your hands dirty in your yard:
Replace portions of grass with drought resistant plants (Less Kentucky Blue Grass = less water!)
Use a couple inches of mulch in beds to encourage moisture retention. You can use leaves from your trees in the fall, pine needles, wood chips or bark for mulch. This also aids in weed control. Gravel mulch is also an extremely good ground cover. Bark lowers ph levels and helps our alkaline soil absorb water!
Only water in the evening and early morning hours to reduce moisture loss from evaporation.
Choose to grow drought resistant plants. Many varieties are available at our local greenhouse. The Dukes will be happy to give advice and ideas on what plants to use.
Visit denverwater.org, saveourh2o.org, or eartheasy.com for helpful and doable tips for xeriscaping.
Purchase a simple soil moisture meter (tensiometer, about $20) to determine soil moisture levels around your plants and grasses
Yard Awards
In addition to greenery and blossoms, something else is about to make its debut in Monticello! From the months of June through September the Parks & Beautification Committee will be presenting yard awards to citizens of the City. There will be two categories: “beautification” and “xeriscape.” A winner for each category will be chosen every four weeks. Each winner will be presented with the honorary traveling award to be placed in their front yard for the month. They will also receive a 50 percent coupon to the Muhelstein’s Greenhouse and a certificate of recognition.
A friendly competition is always a great incentive to get out and start making our town even more beautiful and drought friendly. Keep your eyes peeled as you drive around town, searching for the coveted yard award of the month. Happy gardening!