By Deb Lebow Aal; Updated October 2023 by Jen Smith Here we are again, talking about grass. I mean the Kentucky Blue Grass (KBG) and other non-native expanses we use as our default landscape. We wrote articles on this in past Wild Ones Front Range chapter newsletters (That Non Native Turf Grass Has Got to […] Continue reading "So Many Alternatives to Non Native Turf"
by Jody Gardiner Curious to learn more about transforming your garden into a habitat with Colorado native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees? Check out our native gardening toolkit, register for an upcoming event, subscribe to our newsletter, and/or become a member – if you’re not one already! Continue reading "Native Garden “Before and After”"
A book review by Rick Phillips Being a Wild Ones member, the book Lawns into Meadows, by Owen Wormser, caught my eye immediately. And with an author named Wormser, you would think this guy must really know soil and plants! Wormser is a landscape architect and horticulturalist who grew up off the grid in Maine and […] Continue reading "Lawn Into Meadows"
By Deb Lebow Aal Would you give up your thirsty Kentucky Blue grass for money? House Bill HB22-1151 was introduced with bi-partisan sponsorship in the Colorado House on February 4, 2022, and has a good chance of going the distance. Last week the Committee of Agriculture, Livestock, and Water voted 11-0 to move the bill […] Continue reading "Colorado’s Turf Replacement Bill"
By Deb Lebow Aal There are a myriad of reasons to get rid of turf grass such as the ubiquitous Kentucky Blue Grass lawn on the Front Range, not the least of which is the amount of water it takes to keep it looking green. Why we have as much turf grass (I’ll use the term turf grass or […] Continue reading "Using Native Grasses for a Lawn"
by Ann Winslow Inspired by Douglas Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home (subject of the Wild Ones Book Club in January), this spring I decided to create a native plant pollinator garden in my 1960s suburban Denver yard. It was my first adventure in using all native plants. Most yards in my neighborhood are primarily turf and evergreens […] Continue reading "My Journey to a Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Garden"
By Deborah Lebow Aal Ah, yes, water. It IS the weather in Colorado. We are constantly talking about water. Skiers are obsessed with the snowpack; anglers are obsessed with river flow; farmers talk about the drought that seems to be omni-present. But, is it really a drought if it’s the normal condition? Denver gets an average of about 15 […] Continue reading "Let’s Talk Water and Yes, Native Plants Too"
By Tom Swihart An important goal for the Front Range Chapter of Wild Ones is for members to move their own yard toward native landscaping – and then move their neighbors in the same direction. The example you set can show your neighbors and friends how native landscaping is both possible and desirable. Upgrading yards, […] Continue reading "Can You Get Your Community to Act? Town of Erie Example"
By: Deborah Lebow Aal Despite their standardized curb appeal, are lawns really all they’re cracked up to be? With all of their harmful impacts on the environment from carbon emissions to over fertilization, pesticide treatments, and water consumption, the answer is likely, not so much!!! You might be able to get away with a lawn […] Continue reading "A Lawn on the Front Range or Colorado Native Plants?"
