As summer winds down, installation of five new demonstration garden plots is underway at Northern Water’s Berthoud campus through a partnership with Western States Reclamation. The project includes four plots surrounding the campus weather station, along with a fifth located in the northwest corner of the Conservation Gardens. Once completed, the plots will showcase a variety of water-wise landscaping concepts, plant selections and design approaches suited for Colorado landscapes.
Two of the weather station plots will highlight Plant Select species. One will feature Plant Select plants that are native to the western United States, along with cultivars of native species, while the other will showcase underutilized Plant Select species that perform well in Colorado landscapes. A third plots will serve as an edible garden featuring perennial, long-lived edible plants such as gooseberries and elderberries, as well as tea herbs including bee balm and lavender.
The fourth plot will demonstrate a matrix planting design, a newer landscape style that emphasizes dense plantings of grasses with scattered flowering perennials to achieve complete ground coverage. By maximizing plant cover, these gardens can help reduce weed pressure and minimize water loss through soil evaporation.
The fifth demonstration, tucked in the northwest corner of the Conservation Gardens, is designed to showcase an entry monument landscape concept suitable for homeowners’ associations and other commercial properties. The display will include native grass blends and plantings selected to create visual impact, even when viewed from a passing vehicle.
Installation is expected to continue through the coming months, with the project anticipated to be completed by spring 2027.
