Xeriscape Landscaping & Installation in Denver

What xeriscape means on the Front Range

Denver Water coined the word "xeriscape" in 1981, and it has been misread ever since. It doesn't mean zero water and it doesn't mean rock. It means landscaping designed around the water you actually have — which, in a city that gets 14 to 15 inches of precipitation a year, is not enough to keep Kentucky bluegrass green without heavy irrigation.

In practice a good Denver xeriscape is:

• Planted. Native and adapted perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees do most of the visual work. Rock and mulch fill the space between them and hold moisture in the soil.
• Zoned by water need. Plants that want more water sit together where water can reach them; the toughest plants go on the hot, dry edges.
• On drip. Water goes to roots, not into the air or onto the sidewalk.
• Built on corrected soil and grade. Most of what fails in a xeriscape was decided below the surface on install day.

The yards in our portfolio — like South Winona, a dead front lawn turned into a high-desert planting of agave, yucca, and succulents tucked into quarried sandstone — are what that looks like when it's done right.

How a Xeris install runs

1. Walkthrough. We walk the property with you and read the site: sun and shade through the day, soil texture and drainage, where water goes in a storm, what's worth keeping (mature trees almost always are), and how the existing sprinkler system is laid out.

2. Design. For a straightforward front yard, we can work from one of the eight themes in our Design Center — High Desert Steppe, Flowering Foothills, Rocking Tundra, and the rest — adapted to your lot. For a whole property, a phased plan, or anything with grade changes, we draw a full design plan with a named plant list and a hydrozone map.

3. Program and HOA check. Before anything comes out, we check your water provider's current rebate program and your HOA's architectural rules. Most rebate programs require approval before removal — pull the grass first and you usually forfeit the money. You apply to the program; we design to its requirements.

4. Removal. The sod and its root layer get machine-cut and hauled away — see sod removal. Bermuda grass and quackgrass run deeper than a sod cutter reaches, so we identify what you have before we quote.

5. Soil and grade. Years of irrigation and foot traffic leave a compacted layer that drains badly. We decompact it, amend selectively (most natives want lean soil, not compost-rich beds), and correct the grade so water moves away from the foundation.

6. Irrigation. Spray zones get converted to drip, with emitters sized to each plant and zones split by water need. Old heads that no longer serve anything get capped.

7. Structure, then plants. Boulders and hardscape go in first, set deep enough to look like they belong. Then plants are staged on site so you can see the layout before anything goes in the ground, planted at the right depth, and watered in. Mulch or rock groundcover finishes the beds.

8. Handoff. You get a written establishment watering schedule for the first two seasons and a walkthrough of how the drip system works.

Built for Denver conditions

Clay. Most of the metro sits on clay, and it varies from lot to lot — some drains, some holds water for days. We check before choosing plants, because the same native that thrives in one yard rots in the next.

Sun and altitude. Sun at 5,280 feet is intense, and south- and west-facing beds bake. We put the toughest steppe plants on those exposures and save the softer perennials for morning sun.

Cold and freeze-thaw. Denver is USDA zone 6a on the 2023 map (with some 6b pockets). Winters swing between cold snaps and warm, dry spells, which is hard on evergreens and on anything planted too shallow. Plant choice and planting depth handle most of it.

Water rules. Denver Water ended lawn watering on October 1, 2026, and other providers across the metro run their own restrictions. Drip for trees, shrubs, and perennials is treated as the efficient exception almost everywhere. Our city pages cover the rules by provider.

What it costs, and what moves the number

Our xeriscape installs start at $6 per square foot and typically run $6–$10. Sod removal is priced separately — the sod removal calculator gives you an instant range. Four things move a project within or above that range:

• Plant size and density. Five-gallon shrubs and larger trees cost more than one-gallon perennials; a dense planting costs more than a sparse one.
• Stone. Large boulders, flagstone paths, and dry creek beds add material and equipment time.
• Irrigation. A clean, well-laid-out system converts cheaply; a patched-together one may need new lines.
• Access and grade. Narrow side gates and slopes mean more handwork.

For the full breakdown, read what xeriscaping costs in Denver.

The first two years

A new xeriscape looks intentionally open in its first season because plants are spaced for mature size. Expect regular drip watering through the first one to two growing seasons, a little hand-weeding while plants fill in, and a spring cutback of grasses and perennials. By the third season, most plantings have closed in and need far less of everything. Our maintenance guide covers the seasonal routine.