Straight answers.

Most full xeriscape projects we build run $6–10 per square foot, depending on the design, materials, and site. Budget-friendly options like wildflower planting or arborist mulch start around $4/sq ft, and boulder-heavy premium designs run up to $12/sq ft. Patios and hardscape start at $8/sq ft, and artificial turf at $10/sq ft. Design is $500, credited toward the project on installs over $5,000.

Yes. Xeriscaping can cut outdoor irrigation by up to 60% (Resource Central), and in dry regions outdoor watering can be as much as 60% of a household's water use (EPA WaterSense). New plants need regular water for their first one to two seasons; after that, most need very little.

Sometimes, and they change every year. Denver Water's 2026 turf-removal discounts (up to $750 off Resource Central's own removal service) are fully allocated. Aurora Water's GRIP program pays per square foot but requires approval before any work starts. Other cities run their own programs. We'll tell you which ones apply to your address before anything comes out of the ground — you apply directly.

Denver Water is in Stage 1 drought. Starting October 1, 2026, watering grass and running spray irrigation are prohibited, but trees, shrubs, and plants can still be watered with drip or a hand-held hose with a shutoff nozzle. That's why we convert spray zones to drip on most projects.

Yes. Sod removal is its own service, priced per square foot with haul-away included, and the instant calculator gives you a number without an email. If you book design and install within 30 days, the removal is credited toward it.

Spring and fall are the best planting windows in Colorado — plants establish before heat or frost. Design, demo, and hardscape can happen almost year-round, and booking design in winter gets you to the front of the spring build line.

Denver is USDA Hardiness Zone 6a on the 2023 map, with winter lows of -10°F to -5°F (some warm urban pockets are 6b, some foothill spots 5b). Plants have to handle that cold and dry summers. Front Range natives like blue grama, blanket flower, rabbitbrush, penstemon, and sagebrush do both.

No — that's 'zeroscaping,' and it's the look we exist to prevent. A real xeriscape is layered and alive: native flowering perennials, ornamental grasses, conifers, and stone placed like it grew there. Browse our Design Center to see eight very different looks.

Start with the two-minute quiz in our Design Center. It matches your yard's conditions and your taste to one of our eight themes — from High Desert Steppe to Boulder Forest — and we bring the matching plant and material palettes to your site visit.

Done right, it's better than a lawn for dogs. We design with durable ground covers, dog-run paths, non-toxic plant choices, and artificial turf where it makes sense.

In the right spots on a private yard, yes: dog runs, putting greens, small high-traffic areas where real grass fails. We're upfront about where turf is the wrong answer, and we'll tell you what's in the product before you buy it.

Usually not anymore. Under Colorado SB24-005, from 2026 local governments can't allow new nonfunctional turf, artificial turf, or invasive plants on commercial, institutional, and industrial property, HOA common areas, medians, and street rights-of-way (athletic fields are exempt). Those properties are converting to native, low-water landscapes instead — which is what we build.

Colorado law (C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5) bars HOAs from prohibiting xeriscape or drought-tolerant landscaping on your lot. HOAs can still set reasonable design guidelines for plant types, placement, and hardscape, and some limit artificial turf to back yards. We design to your HOA's guidelines and prepare plans for their review.

Typical residential conversions run 1–3 weeks on site, depending on scope and hardscape. The real variable is the calendar — spring slots fill fast, which is why estimates and design work best booked a season ahead.

Far less than a lawn — no mowing, minimal watering once established — but 'low-maintenance' isn't 'no-maintenance.' Expect seasonal cutbacks, occasional weeding, and mulch top-ups.

Denver metro and the Front Range — Lakewood, Littleton, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Centennial, Englewood, and surrounding communities. Commercial and HOA properties too.