By Marcia Pryor, LMI Colorado

If your community’s water bill keeps climbing while the turf keeps browning, that’s not “bad luck,” that’s a system problem you can fix. Colorado’s semi-arid climate isn’t changing in your favor, and two-to-three-day watering schedules are the new normal. Plan for it, budget for it, and design for it. Here’s a blunt, board-friendly roadmap to get water use down and curb appeal up without turning your property into a gravel pit.

Start with a Plan (before you touch a sprinkler)

Xeriscape isn’t code for “zeroscape.” Done right, it’s green, colorful, seasonal, and functional. The framework is seven principles: (1) plan/design; (2) soil improvement; (3) hydrozoning; (4) practical turf; (5) efficient irrigation; (6) mulching; and (6) appropriate maintenance. Use them as your agenda for a working session with your landscape partner, and document decisions by area (entrances, streetscapes, parks, courtyards) so you can phase over 2–3 years rather than attempt a budget-busting overhaul in one shot.

Key decision rules:

• Right plant, right place. Favor native/adaptable, disease-resistant, drought-tolerant species; group by similar water needs (hydrozones); and size plantings so they won’t demand extra water or pruning to survive.
  
• Practical turf only. Keep lawn where people actually use it (play, picnics, pets). Ditch narrow strips, steep south-facing slopes, and parking lot islands. Consider newer lower-water turf blends in “must-have” lawns and convert the rest to beds or native stands.
  
• Soil is not optional. Test and amend; poor soils waste water. Plan for organic matter incorporation and protect existing topsoil during any renovation.

Irrigation: Fix the System, Then the Schedule

You won’t save water with thirsty designs, and you won’t save it with leaky, mismatched irrigation either. Expect to make targeted upgrades and then manage the system like an asset, not a set-and-forget timer.

High-impact upgrades (ranked for ROI):

1. Smart/ET controllers. Weather-based “brains” routinely cut use around ~30% while maintaining plant health. Require separate turf vs. bed programs. (This is the fastest budget win for most properties.)
   
2. Pressure regulation + matched precipitation nozzles. Convert sprays to high-efficiency MP rotators where appropriate to reduce misting and run-off; balance precipitation rates across zones.
   
3. Drip for shrubs and trees. Subsurface or drip for woody/herbaceous beds; zone separately from turf.
   

Operational standards:

• Water at dawn, not at 2 p.m. - you’re paying for evaporation at that point.
  
• Add rain sensors and shut systems off ahead of storms.
  
• Set turf height at 3.5–4 inches to shade roots and reduce demand.
  
• Maintain monthly or bi-weekly: inspect zones, repair leaks/heads, reset runtimes seasonally, audit annually.

Phasing & Budgeting

Most communities succeed with a three-phase plan that blends quick wins and capital items:

Phase 1 (0-6 months): “Control What You Can Today.”
 Smart controllers, pressure regulation, nozzle retrofits, leak repairs, top dress mulch to retain moister levels, mowing height policy, and resident education (“Every drop counts”). Commit to a strong and thorough landscape maintenance program to protect your assets. Expect immediate savings and healthier plant response.

Phase 2 (6-18 months): “Design Out the Waste.”
 Remove nonfunctional turf (strips, slopes, islands). Convert those areas to hydrozoned planting beds with drip, fabric-free mulch, and region-appropriate plants. Prioritize high-visibility entrances and chronic problem zones first.

Phase 3 (18-36 months): “Future-Proof.”
 Where lawns are truly needed, convert to lower-water turf varieties; continue bed conversions; add monitoring tech (flow sensors, alerts) to catch stuck valves/leaks quickly; formalize an annual irrigation audit and soil program.

Governance: Set Targets, Then Inspect What You Expect

• Adopt a water budget with target reductions by area (e.g., entrances −25%, streetscapes −15% in Year 1).
  
• Tie vendor scope to the seven principles (design, soil, hydrozoning, turf, irrigation, mulch, maintenance) so expectations are crystal clear. Consider adopting an acceptable plant list for all future projects.
  
• Measure quarterly: controller reports, gallons per irrigated square foot, leak response time, and completion of proactive maintenance tasks. Share your stats with your vender.
  
• Communicate wins - residents will back the program when they see color, shade, and butterflies where a dead strip used to be.

Common Pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• Rock-only “makeovers.” That’s zeroscaping, not xeriscape, and it bakes your site while inviting weeds and lacks curb apeal. Use living plant mass with mulch and drip.
  
• Mixing plants with different water needs in one zone. One group dies; the other drowns. Hydrozone or you’ll chase problems forever.
  
• Controllers left on “July” in October. Seasonal resets are free savings - schedule them.

Bottom line: you can’t control the weather, but you can control design, hardware, and habits. Plan ahead, phase intelligently, and manage to metrics. Your landscape will look better, your water spend will shrink, and your community will be set up for the climate we actually have… not the one we wish we had. Every drop still counts. 

Author Bio

Marcia Pryor have been in the landscape industry for over 40 years and has held many roles including Landscape Architect, Account Manager, and Business Developer. She is currently a BD for LMI Colorado, a local commercial landscaping company who prides itself on providing superior landscape and irrigation design, development, commercial maintenance, and snow removal services. Sustainability is a part of all aspects of the company.