Staying dry

Youth Corps garden cultivates strategies for conserving water

Carol O'Meara, Special to the Rocky

Published July 28, 2007 at midnight

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A flood of color is stopping traffic along York Street, just outside the Denver Botanic Gardens. Washes of pink petunias wind around paths, while cascades of Orange Symphony daisy, Alto Blue ageratum and crimson verbena flow across bermed partitions. A river of hybrid bluegrass edges the garden to the west.

The new GreenCO Mile High garden is all about water - the lack of it, that is - and sets out to show and tell Denver residents how to get Colorado style without breaking the water bank.

Built by the Mile High Youth Corps (milehighyouthcorps.org), the garden officially opened to the public June 18.

"This was my first outdoor project," said Morgen Friedel, 20, a Youth Corps leader. "Usually I work on indoor energy projects, but this was a completely different job."

Friedel worked with four team leaders and a crew of eight to install the garden this spring. Their biggest challenge in building the garden was laying the flagstone walkways, says Friedel.

"We're on a slope here, so we had to dig it in to level them."

In addition to putting in paths, the crew learned how to set rock walls to take the weight of thousands of visitors. Three weeks after the crew broke ground, the garden is an oasis of beauty along the busy urban street.

Sponsored by the Green Industries of Colorado and the Gardens, the simple layout is designed to showcase tips for sustainable landscaping. Known as "best management practices," these techniques for reducing water fit into GreenPrint Denver's goal of cutting water consumption 22 percent in 20 years. Interest in the project brought a stream of donated goods and materials from 40 businesses in the metro area.

The garden offers five rock wall seating areas among the foliage, where young Callery pear and Scots pine are poised to provide shade as they get older.

Tough groundcovers anchor sloped areas, while plants that love drier locations sit atop hills, where the water drains away quickly.

Xeric plants, such as Furman's Red salvia, echinacea and Magic Carpet spireas, wow visitors. Signs highlighting soil preparation, grouping plants by water needs and watering efficiently accent the beds.

For now, this new garden's performance is best enjoyed by slowly strolling to take in the details of drip irrigation and mulch blankets.

The GreenCO Mile High garden at 1005 York St. is open year-round.

Carol O'Meara is a local gardening expert. She can be reached at omeara carol@comcast.net.

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