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Meadows are less maintained and look more natural,” says Lifescape Garden Manager Ali Pougiales, “with lots of tall grasses and wildflowers Some people transform their whole front yard into a meadow simply because they can make a wild habitat for bees, birds, and other pollinators, and it requires less water to irrigate because a lot of plants that grow in these spaces are more adapted to our local climate than plants in manicured gardens. Here’s how Lifescape approaches the TLC aspect of growing a meadow from scratch: Amending your soil with organic material is critical to creating a nutrient-rich growing environment. The idea is to allow a natural and prairie-esque look, so we limit mowing to once or twice a year depending on whether the meadow is warm-season or cool-season grass.

Anchor the beds with evergreens, round them out with a mixed variety of grasses and perennials and continue to extend your seasonal color by planting bulbs in late September/early October. Combining all these different flower forms means you’re relying on how those shapes interact with each other as opposed to merely the colors,” Bala says. That means starting with a strong foundation of structural plants and filling in the negative spaces with interesting shapes and vibrant splashes of color over time. Consider these: Orange and Lemon Blanket Flowers, Little Trudy Catmint, Little Spire Russian Sage Landscape care requires knowledge, expertise and experience.

Unlike the superficial shearing process that targets just the outer surface of a tree for shaping purposes, “structural pruning goes deeper in the plant to promote new targeted growth in the spring,” Cloud says. We avoid synthetic or fast-release fertilizer because it’s either not going to be present when the plants start to grow,” Cloud says, “or will push growth too quickly. A full spring lawn renovation involves three main steps: Aerating, which alleviates soil compaction and allows air to reach the roots of the grass; power raking, which eliminates the buildup of dead grass and debris that forms a layer over the soil, called thatch, which can impede the absorption of water, air, and nutrients; and composting (we use the organic brand EKO), which integrates the new organic material in the top layer of soil to help with nutrient and water retention. If you want to plan for springs to come, Cloud suggests “experimenting with planting winter annuals in the fall early, like pansies, that can also provide a splash of early spring color.

This year marks Lifescape Colorado’s 45th anniversary, and for fifteen of those years, Lifescape’s EVP of Design Build, LeAnn Ostheimer, has helped nurture the company’s growth and success. Currently, LeAnn directs multiple teams to assure projects are cultivated with the highest degree of care, starting with the design team conceptualizing, listening and customizing plans for clients and following through so that the operations teams—construction and property care—brings each project to life. If we have a relationship after the build portion of the project and they work with our property care team for years, we know we’ve done our job. We have 45 years of experience with a dedicated team of landscape design, construction and property care and maintenance experts.