Sitting here in a Colorado blizzard, my mind returns to spring and — of course — gardens. As we at Sterling Ranch plan next year’s landscaping and gardening, let me share some information that you might find interesting and useful.

Gardens and green landscapes obviously wouldn’t exist without water. When we first envisioned how we would create a reliable water system that was economically viable, we started with demand management. If we used less water, we could build a more robust system and still have all the water our residents would need. We tested many things. The biggest factor was outdoor water use (water used in the home is recovered and therefore much less expensive). About one-third of the water used on Sterling Ranch is used outdoors.

The amount of water used outside depends on plant types, how much water these plants use, and the types of soils the plants are growing in. We conducted a five-year test garden with the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies to determine what garden and landscape plans would be best for Sterling Ranch. Of course, turf is an excellent replacement for grass and is easier to maintain. But for landscaping, we found several things:

Thank you for letting me share this and happy gardening!

Sterling Ranch is excited to announce the launch of a new Energy Crash Course email program for residents! As part of the program, residents who enroll will receive an email that takes a deep dive into a different residential energy topic each month for a year.