A Better BoCo Backyard

Regionally inspired landscaping turns Boulder yards into open-air retreats

WORDS  McKenzie Watson-Fore

With summer just around the corner, it’s time to fling open the patio doors and reclaim the backyard. Local landscape architects share how to keep outdoor spaces both stylish and fire-wise. 

In Boulder, outdoor living isn’t just a summer thing. Cool evenings, dry air, and—mercifully—very few mosquitoes mean patios and backyards stay busy from spring well into fall. Still, its unique position in the crook of the Rocky Mountains presents certain challenges for landscape design. “Everything has to be built differently,” says Tom Sunderland, the founder and president of Native Edge Landscapes. The earth moves with freeze-and-thaw cycles, and well-designed drainage is a necessity even in dry years. “You have every kind of weather, and it often hits when you don’t expect it to hit,” he adds. This past winter required more winter watering than snow removal. 

At more than a mile high, Boulder has a high-desert climate, so water usage is an evergreen concern. The term “xeriscape” gets thrown around a lot in Colorado landscaping circles. But as Bob Barkeen from Changing Landscapes points out, the idea has drifted a bit from its original intent. “That term has been sort of abused,” he says. “Now, when people hear
‘xeriscape,’ they think rock, maybe some yuccas or cactus, but that’s not really the intent of it.” 

Tom agrees. “There are a lot of xeriscapes that should be called ‘zero-scapes,’” he jokes. “They’re just seas of rock.” Bob prefers the term Colorado-scaping. He defines it as using a lot of native adaptable plants that require little water, plus pollinator-friendly plants. These can be accented with natural stonework. 

Local red sandstone has been a mainstay in Colorado landscape design for years, but buff sandstone, also a great locally quarried material, although more expensive, has become increasingly popular because of how well it works with a modern or minimalist aesthetic. “Minimalism is trending, and Colorado buff, often combined with metal and concrete features, is the natural stone option that fits that,” Tom says. Plus, since Native Edge sources almost all its buff sandstone from a quarry in Loveland, it’s hyper-local. 

Bob concurs: “There’s still a desire to have a regional quality to your landscaping.” People are shifting away from sprawling lawns and opting for thoughtful, regionally conscious landscaping, which leads to a more variety throughout all four seasons and less water use over time. 

Another trend is a visually appealing fire perimeter around homes. These are often a combination of stone and concrete materials thoughtfully designed and crafted to create a low- to zero-maintenance, nonflammable hardscape perimeter immediately around the home. This is a weed-free, permanent alternative to the traditional loose-rock-on-fabric options that inevitably become problematic to maintain. 

Once the plants and stonework are in place, the next step is to design your outdoor living space. “Cozy gathering spaces continue to trend,” Tom says. With good design, you can achieve a robust, functional space even in a small area. The Changing Landscapes’ team strives to create fully functional outdoor spaces by striking a balance between shelter from the hot afternoon sun and openness to the sky after dark. Permanent shade options could include a covered structure, a stylish pergola, or even mature trees. A massive, cantilevered umbrella, like the ones available at Christy Sports, is a more agile shade solution because it can easily be collapsed to allow unimpeded stargazing. 

Christy Sports—best known for skis and snowboards—also carries a surprisingly extensive selection of patio furniture and outdoor design pieces. “Depending on the season when they usually come in, a lot of people don’t know the full range of what we do,” says store manager Jordan Foley. The furniture the store offers is designed for year-round outdoor use, and it’s heavy-duty enough to withstand a powerful Colorado gust. When it comes to patio furniture, as with the landscaping itself, most customers are looking for something low-maintenance and eco-friendly. Polywood, one of Christy Sports’ best-selling brands, makes furniture out of recycled milk cartons. “We have a design center, and we can put together something entirely customized to your specific vision,” Jordan says. Additionally, you can pop in and buy something off the showroom floor. 

Seating, shade elements, and patio heaters are among the most popular categories for outdoor essentials. “Fire elements are what bring people outside in the shoulder seasons,” Tom says, noting that a good heating solution can stretch patio season on both ends of summer.

Ultimately, quality landscape design is about making your outdoor space functional and enjoyable in ways that benefit both you and the land you’re on. “It’s about how our natural systems work together, and how our landscapes fit into that,” Bob says. In this way, high-quality landscape design complements the unique attributes of your outdoor space, creating an open-air retreat to serve you through summer and beyond. 

For more information, visit nativeedgelandscapes.com, changinglandscapes.com, and christysports.com.