La Junta Xeriscape Garden Final Report

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e project at the Plant. A retirement village association opted to landscape with the same basic concept that we used in the xeriscape garden. IMPLEMENT A TION The Parks Department and Water Department had received some information on xeriscaping as a concept to conserve water. However, few people in La Junta were familiar with the concept and those that were had little or no knowledge of how to do it. In fact, a major requirement to constructing our first xeriscape garden was to educate ourselves on xeriscape methods and design. Prior to beginning the project we had several discussions with community leaders on location and cost of the project. The folks involved in these discussions held the notion that xeriscape was mostly rocks and cactus and that this was not acceptable in existing landscaped areas. We finally chose an area that was yet undeveloped but for which a park area was being planned. It was agreed that a portion of this new park could be used to demonstrate xeriscaping. - A rough area layout was done which indicated layout of trails and the general location of the xeriscape garden. Cost estimates for the project were initially established on similar size park projects and a request for grant funding was made through the State Water Conservation Board. Through this project we found that xeriscape is more expensive due to several factors, including soil preparation and the required plant variety and density. The project was divided into three major task areas - Conceptual and Design, Education and Promotional, Construction and Maintenance. CONCEPTUAL AND DESIGN In the Conceptual Planning stage, we formed a committee to develop direction and ideas for the project. The committee consisted of the City Tree Board, the Director of Parks, and the Director of Water and Wastewater. (The City Tree Board is an appointed advisory Board to the Parks Department.) This committee produced the criteria for the design of the garden and developed a conceptual planting plan. Discussions included the variety of plant types, plants readily available in the nurseries of the region, plant groups according to soil moisture demand, grouping plants as they would naturally occur, plants from other regions that are adapted to local conditions, plants grouped as they would be in residential landscapes, plant characteristics (form, foliage color, bloom color, winter appearance, life span), plant maintenance levels, irrigation methods and irrigation zones. The committee also considered the related aspects of safety, human comfort, views, aesthetics, and spatial character. - The committee first decided we wanted a design that would allow for a simple base construction, but would also provide for on-going development of plant variety. We believed that the initial phase on the garden should show residents how.to most effectively use those materials, knowledge, and plants that were readily available. Future phases of the garden would incorporate more unusual