The extremes of Colorado’s climate necessitates resilient planting that thrive in the intense heat, bitter cold and scant precipitation. With a commitment to plant driven design, we are constantly looking for new plants to use in our designs that will work in the appropriate microclimate. Every year we try to share some of our favorite plants in the hope that other plant enthusiasts may find inspiration to use these plants in their own designs.
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.
Seed Not Sod: A Logical Approach to Landscape Design
Learn how we’re refining a stewardship and design approach that combines curated grassland seed mixes with designed planting to create intentional and self-sustaining plant communities as a substitute for sod.
Conference Recap: Plant Design in a Local Context with Thomas Rainer
The conference tents stand amidst the Tree of Life trial gardens. Photo by Brooke Forwood.
Landscape Architect, Thomas Rainer, speaks about the latest knowledge, philosophies, and intricacies of plant design.
Garden Design in a Historical Context
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.
The Value of Landscape
A Tree of Life designed landscape integrates with the Boulder, CO foothills.
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 I
After years of landscaping, gardening, and growing plants in Colorado, I have finally come to appreciate the beauty of the winter garden. Time collects; all the growing is preserved in the forms, colors, and textures of the plants. I hope this inspires you to spend longer looking into your garden in the winter.
Autumn in the Colorado Garden
Plants begin their transformation in this Boulder, CO 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
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ and Agastache Cana intermingle bring vivid color to a water-wise garden.
Let’s delve into why water conservation is important and how perennial landscapes can contribute to the effort.
The Truth About Low Maintenance Gardens
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, Centranthus ruber, Salvia nemerosa ‘Cardonna’, and Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ intermingle with late July blossoms in a Boulder, Colorado landscape.
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 plant combinations that thrive in the Colorado climate.
6 Common Myths About Xeriscaping
The xeric garden—misconstrued as a barren and unflattering landscape—deserves a different narrative. While many people picture a landscape filled with swaths of rock and singular desert plants, the xeric garden can easily blossom into the opposite. 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
We welcome spring as a season of new life, fresh perspective, of warmth and color and calm. It’s 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 springtime 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, and each plays its role in the holistic beauty of the space. We participate in the toil, the work, the tending—and in its time, the garden reveals its beauty.