“Candace walked the slope with a soil probe and said the front bed needed compost before anything else. The estimate listed it as its own line.”
Mayra V.Wheat Ridge
Front Range xeriscape and native seed
Native seed and low-water gardens that bloom on the Front Range
We take out thirsty turf and put in native grasses, wildflowers and drip-watered perennials that handle Denver's clay, late frosts and summer hail. Native seed takes a few seasons to fill in, and we tell you that up front.
Bloom calendar
What is in bloom, by month and elevation
A guide for a typical year, from the species we plant. Your slope, your soil and the year itself move each date by a few weeks.
| Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and up | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ft | |
|---|---|---|
| January | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upUnder snow, with rabbitbrush and grass seed heads standing above it. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftSeed heads and grass plumes hold the beds. Nothing is in bloom. |
| February | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upDormant under snow. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftDormant. A good month to walk the yard and plan. |
| March | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upStill snow-covered. Buds swell on south-facing slopes. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftPasqueflower can open in a warm, sheltered spot. |
| April | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upPasqueflower on south-facing slopes as the snow leaves. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftPasqueflower, then golden currant. |
| May | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upPasqueflower finishing. Blue flax starts on the lower slopes. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftGolden currant, blue flax and the first penstemon. |
| June | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upPrairie smoke, columbine and the first penstemon. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftPenstemon, blue flax, yucca and sulfur buckwheat. |
| July | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upColumbine, harebell and blanket flower at their fullest. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftBlanket flower, purple prairie clover, yarrow and hummingbird mint. |
| August | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upHarebell and the first asters. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftBlanket flower, hummingbird mint and the first rabbitbrush. |
| September | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upAsters, and aspens turning gold above 8,000 feet. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftRabbitbrush, asters and the seed heads of blue grama. |
| October | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upGrasses cure to gold. The first snow can close the season. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftRabbitbrush going to seed, grasses in fall color. The first hard frost usually comes this month. |
| November | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upSnow settles in and the seeding window is closing. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftNothing blooms. Native seed goes down once the soil is cold. |
| December | Foothills and mountains, 7,000 ft and upUnder snow. | Denver and the plains, about 5,300 ftSeed heads and bare stems hold the structure of the beds. |
What we build
Four ways to replace a lawn
Each starts with the clay under the grass and ends with a drip line or a seeding plan.
Turf replacement
We cut out the lawn, loosen and amend the clay and lay out the new bed with its water line before anything goes in.
Native seeding
Grasses and wildflowers drilled or broadcast in late fall or early spring, in a mix chosen for your sun and slope.
Xeric beds and perennials
Plugs and one-gallon plants set in groups: penstemon, blanket flower, hummingbird mint, yarrow. Drip-watered until established.
Stone, paths and edging
Flagstone steps, gravel paths, dry-laid edges and boulders that make a bed read as planned.
Who comes to the walk-through
Candace Ragland draws the plan herself
She started the firm to plant what grows here instead of what struggles here.
She walks every yard, reads the slope and the soil, and writes the plan. Jovani Mora and his crew build it, and Steven Bishop sets the drip lines.
At the walk-through
A soil and slope check
A sun and wind note for each bed
Your questions about HOA rules and rebates
A written estimate before any work starts
Candace Ragland
Owner and designer
How pricing works
What moves the price
We don't price from a photo. The number comes after a walk-through, in writing, and it lists what is in it.
What changes the number
Square feet of turf coming out
Slope, gates and truck access
Clay that needs compost worked in
Seed, plugs or one-gallon plants
Drip lines, rock, edging and stone
Hail and frost
What Front Range weather does to a native yard
We choose plants and dates around three things the Front Range does every year.
Summer hail
Hail season runs roughly May through August. Native perennials shredded by a storm usually regrow once they are cut back. We favor low, small-leaved plants and tell you which beds will take a hit best.
Late frost
Denver's last frost is often early to mid May, and a hard one can come later. We hold tender plants until mid-May, keep frost cloth on hand for new beds, and sow seed dormant so frost never sees it sprout.
The first hard freeze
Drip lines are drained before the first hard freeze, usually in October, so fittings and tubing do not split over the winter.
From yard owners
What people wrote after the work
“We seeded in November and saw very little until June. They had told us that, and the blue flax that came up was worth the wait.”
Lori S.Highlands
“After a July hailstorm the penstemon looked shredded. Jovani told us to cut it back, and it was green again within a few weeks.”
Sebastian C.Englewood
Sample reviews.
Service area
Denver, the suburbs and the foothills
From the plains to the first ridge west of town.
Denver and south
- Denver
- Englewood
- Littleton
- Centennial
- Aurora
Jefferson County
- Lakewood
- Wheat Ridge
- Arvada
- Golden
- Edgewater
- Morrison
- Evergreen
North
- Westminster
- Northglenn
- Thornton
We don't take jobs in Boulder County, Fort Collins or south of Castle Rock.
ZIP codes: 80202, 80203, 80204, 80205, 80206, 80207, 80209, 80210, 80211, 80212, 80218, 80219, 80220, 80221, 80223, 80224, 80226, 80227, 80230, 80231, 80232, 80033, 80110, 80120, 80121, 80122, 80003, 80004, 80005, 80401
Questions
Before you call
When is native seed sown, and when do I see flowers?
Late fall into winter, once the soil is cold, or early spring. Seed sprouts when the ground warms, and most of the first year is grass and green. Expect a fuller bed in the second and third summers, and we say so before you sign.
Do I have to water a native yard?
Yes, at first. New seed and plants need regular water through their first season while the roots reach down. After that the beds run on drip lines or on rain and snow alone, depending on the plants. We set the schedule in writing.
What does a project cost?
It depends on the square feet of turf, the slope, how much clay needs amending and whether the bed is seed, plugs or larger plants. We write the price after the walk-through. The pricing section on the services page lists what moves it.
Will my HOA or my water provider allow it?
Many HOAs want a plan before turf comes out, and water providers run their own turf-replacement programs, which change and may be closed. Check with both before you book. We give you a written scope and measurements to attach.
Are you licensed and insured?
The footer shows our business registration with the Colorado Secretary of State. Ask us for our insurance certificate and we'll send it, along with any form your city or HOA wants on file.
What happens at the walk-through?
We come for about an hour, probe the soil, read the slope and sun, measure each bed and ask what you want to keep. You get a written estimate afterward, before any work starts.
Book a walk-through
Tell us where the yard is and what grows there now. We write back to set up a time.
Phone(303) 555-0100
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- Closed
- SundayToday
- Closed