Our Blog
Perennials of the Year 2024
At Tree of Life, we are always looking for new and interesting plants. In 2024 we had a lot of favorite plants and wanted to share some of our favorites in the hope of seeing more of them in planting designs in Colorado.
Past Blogs
Fresh Baguettes and Healthy Soil
Soil, like a baguette, is little more than a few simple, raw ingredients. But a fresh baguette in Paris, though made from simple ingredients, is far from simplistic. The same is true of healthy soil.
2023 Plants of the Year
With plants at the forefront of most of our designs at Tree of Life, a select few always stand out to us at the end of our planting season. We are constantly looking for new species and cultivars to utilize in our designs, and we wanted to share our top five favorites from the past year.
Green Roof Living is Stressful for Plants: Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing
What do driving wind, scorching sun, sub zero nights, and shallow soil have in common? They are all found atop a Colorado green roof. Fortunately, stress is something plants in our environment have come to understand.
2022 Conference Recap
Kevin Williams, horticulturist and Assistant Curator at Denver Botanic Gardens, shared plant design perspectives that derive from his vast knowledge of the steppe landscape.
Ecology-Driven Perspectives in Plant Design: The CSR Theory
As we learn more about successful gardens and large, designed plantings, we look towards this model of ecology to guide and inform the re-creation of nature within our urban/suburban spaces.
Seed Not Sod: A Logical Approach to Landscape Design
Learn how we’re refining a stewardship and design approach that combines seeding with designed planting to create self-sustaining plant communities as a substitute for sod.
Let Them Stand
As fall approaches, we suggest gardeners allow their plants to maintain their form throughout the winter.
Plants of the Year 2021
After a very successful planting season in our demanding steppe climate, we have compiled a list of our favorite plants that we used this year
Thomas Rainer Conference Recap
Landscape Architect, Thomas Rainer, speaks about the latest knowledge, philosophies, and intricacies of plant design.
Understanding the history of the garden informs our design process so that our gardens are beautiful and can continue to grow without excessive help from the gardener
What is a Lawn?
In different parts of the country, the answer is not the same.
The Value of Landscape
When it comes to investments, few rival the cost-benefit of creating a well-loved outdoor space, and we should all be asking ourselves the question, “How much should I be saving to spend on my backyard?”
Winter in the Garden: Part II
To tell the story of this forgotten garden season, we took a walk through the wintery Denver Botanic Gardens. Now, let the colors, textures, and feelings of winter transport you to a new experience of year-round landscape beauty.
Winter in the Garden: Part I
After years of landscaping, gardening, and growing plants in Colorado, I have finally come to appreciate the beauty of the winter garden. I hope this inspires you to spend more time looking into your landscape.
New Project: Calando
Last spring, we broke ground on a landscape design that serves as a transition between our clients’ contemporary house and their Ponderosa forest surroundings.
Autumn in the Colorado Garden
We plan our gardens with the experiences of fall in mind—remembering the textures, colors, sounds and feelings that come with the changing of the foliage.
The Case For Perennial Gardens in Water Conservation
Let’s delve into why water conservation matters and how perennial landscapes can contribute to the effort.
The Truth About Low Maintenance Gardens
Contrary to popular belief, the most densely planted gardens require the least amount of maintenance.
3 Plant Combinations For Colorado Summertime
After decades of experience, we have found some of our favorite combinations that thrive in the Colorado climate.
10 Plants That Thrive in Colorado’s Summer Heat
Despite its dry heat and alkaline soil, Colorado flaunts colorful gardens with plants well-adapted to its natural conditions.
6 Common Myths About Xeriscaping
The xeric garden—misconstrued as a barren and unflattering landscape—deserves a different narrative. Let’s look at some Tree of Life projects that practice the principles of xeriscape (and dispel some myths along the way).
Why Springtime Makes Us Feel So Good
Spring is the time of year when nature most closely meets our biological and psychological needs to make us feel happy, hopeful, and safe. Learn more about the science behind why this season makes us feel so good.
Time and the Garden
The garden exposes a different way to comprehend time. Each season brings its own composition of color, texture, and experience. We participate in the toil, the work, the tending—and in its time, the garden reveals its beauty.