Water conservation is no longer just an environmental consideration for Denver-area property owners—it’s a business necessity. With Colorado’s semi-arid climate, recurring drought conditions, and increasing pressure on water resources, commercial property managers must proactively plan for long-term landscape sustainability. Developing a drought plan today can help protect your landscape investment, reduce operating costs, and maintain curb appeal during periods of water restrictions.
1. Assess Water Needs
The first step in creating a drought plan is evaluating your existing landscape. Conduct a thorough assessment of turf areas, plant materials, irrigation systems, and water usage patterns. Large expanses of traditional bluegrass turf often require significant irrigation and may be prime candidates for conversion to more drought-tolerant alternatives. Native and adaptive plant species that thrive in Colorado’s climate can dramatically reduce water demand while still providing attractive seasonal color and visual interest.
2. Implement Efficient Irrigation
Irrigation efficiency should be a major focus of any drought preparedness strategy. Outdated sprinkler systems can waste thousands of gallons of water through overspray, runoff, leaks, and poor scheduling. Smart irrigation controllers, weather-based sensors, and routine system audits can significantly improve water efficiency. Property managers should also establish regular maintenance schedules to identify and repair irrigation issues before they become costly problems.
Developing a water-priority plan is equally important. Not every area of a commercial property requires the same level of irrigation during drought conditions. Identify high-visibility areas, entryways, and customer-facing landscapes as priority zones while allowing less critical areas to receive reduced irrigation if restrictions become necessary. This approach helps maintain a professional appearance while conserving valuable water resources.
3. Use Drought Tolerant Plants
Effective and attractive landscapes can be built using xeric plants, these are plants that specifically thrive in in conditions with minimal watering and only require natural rainfall. They are critical to use for Xeriscaping, which is strategic landscaping using more plants xeric plants to create beautiful landscaping designs that require minimal watering. This help to keep the water bills down and keep your landscapes exceptional through tough drought conditions.
Make use of xeric drought tolerant plants to make your landscaping incredible through all conditions and keep up keep cost of your landscaping lower. Balancing attractive use of xeriscaping with your turfs can create a dynamic and visually appealing landscape for your property while still managing to maintain it through droughts and water restrictions like what Denver often imposes.
Don’t get caught with a high maintenance landscaping that you can only attain through inefficient use of watering, instead invest in a long term solution to lower costs and keep your landscape magnificent.
4. Minimize Turf Areas
Another important item is to minimize your turf areas. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean to not have any lawns or grass sections of your landscaping, but it does mean using effective landscape design to minimize your turf areas by adding attractive mulch areas.
Mulching landscape beds is an effective drought-management practice. A quality mulch layer helps retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperatures, and reduce evaporation during Denver’s hot summer months. Healthy soils enriched with organic matter also improve water retention and support stronger root development, allowing plants to better withstand dry conditions.
This is the other half of effective xeriscaping in tandem with using xeric plant choices that can minimize your upkeep costs while also making your landscapes beautiful through drought and water restrictions.
Strategizing with Landscaping Experts to Design, Install and Maintain your Property
Finally, work closely with a professional landscape partner to develop a long-term drought response strategy. Experienced commercial landscape providers can recommend plant replacements, irrigation upgrades, and maintenance practices tailored to your property’s specific needs and budget.
Drought conditions are an ongoing reality in the Denver metro area, but with proper planning, commercial properties can continue to maintain healthy, attractive landscapes while using water responsibly. A proactive drought plan not only protects your landscape investment but also demonstrates environmental stewardship and operational resilience for years to come.