Rural properties have different landscaping issues

By Jeanie Anderson
Contributor

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So, you finally have your home on the range. The "range" part may be five, 10 or even 40 acres, and suddenly you're faced with the challenge of planning a manageable landscape on a very large property. Beyond considerations of where to place a patio, play structure or dog run, here are some thoughts about designing a landscape that you will thoroughly enjoy - while still having time for fishing!

Think of your landscape as an oasis. Keep your designed landscape within a certain distance from your home. Think about it from the homesteader's point of view: They didn't plant anything so far away from a water source that they couldn't drag a bucket of water to it. This may be a little too restrictive now that we have automatic irrigation systems, but by thinking this way you will begin to get a sense of the size of landscape that you really need to provide play areas and gathering spots for your family - while keeping maintenance requirements reasonable.

Leave the other three or 40 acres to the horses or wildlife, and have disturbed areas reseeded in a grass mixture that does not require irrigation. Seed drilling is a good choice for these areas, and the time to seed is either late fall or early spring.

Rock and weed fabric. The practice of using great expanses of rock over weed fabric is becoming all too common among landscapes in the Front Range. If you choose to follow this path, realize you are creating heat islands around your home. Since the rock absorbs heat from the sun, it not only heats up your home's exterior but also tortures even the toughest plants. Eventually, the weeds come up anyway.

Wood mulch is a much better choice as a groundcover around plants and your home, for multiple reasons. Mulch placed at an appropriate depth, usually 3 to 4 inches around shrubs and trees and less around perennials, will shade out many weeds, provide a cool environment for plant roots and shoots and, over time, improve the quality of your soil as it breaks down.

Don't use weed fabric under the mulch, since it provides a slick surface from which mulch can blow off. In Colorado, where we see some mighty fierce winds, you will be replacing nearly all your mulch on a regular basis. Other downsides to weed fabric: It inhibits the growth of plants, you are missing out on the benefit of soil improvement and finally, weeds do grow on weed fabric! To shade out a lot of weeds, use a fibrous-type mulch, placed at 3 to 4 inches in depth, as well as dense plantings.

Surfacing driveways. Concrete and asphalt are great ways to surface a driveway but can be costly for a very long driveway. Try a crushed stone surface, but don't use a single size of rock material - like 1-inch washed rock - throughout. Choose something with a multiple aggregate size such as a road base material. A consistently sized rock will never compact and will always move around on your driveway. Road bases, on the other hand, consist of pieces in many sizes and will compact to a very solid surface for your driveway.

A word about windbreaks. Windbreaks are an excellent way to protect your home from the wind, and they also provide habitat for wildlife. Think creatively; windbreaks don't have to be linear in form. They can be placed in more naturalistic groupings of both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Also, keep in mind that placing a windbreak a certain distance from a driveway can create snowdrifts that you will have to deal with later.

Irrigating from a well or reservoir. Even the most xeric or low-water landscapes will require some initial watering. For those of you relying solely on a well for both your indoor and outdoor water requirements, you should make sure you understand the capacity of your well and pump. You likely will not want to give up your shower in the morning to water the grass! Also, if you have the opportunity to irrigate from a nearby lake or reservoir, keep in mind that sediments and debris in the water can easily clog drip irrigation systems and sprinkler heads. There are special filters and sprinkler nozzles available for this type of application.

Those dreaded weeds. The herbicide Roundup and a 3-gallon backpack sprayer are indispensable tools for landscape maintenance on a large rural property. You can strap on your handy sprayer and spray the weeds coming up in and along the edges of your driveway. Use it for fence lines and carefully spray it around existing plantings when you have an invasion of difficult-to-control weeds such as thistle or bindweed. Be very careful, though. You will still need to pull weeds by hand in your flower beds and shrub borders for the most part, as Roundup will kill everything it touches. You must be careful that it doesn't blow or mist onto your treasured plants. However, there's nothing like it for weed control in larger, more open areas. Always follow directions for proper use.

Keeping these ideas in mind when you are planning your landscape will add to the beauty unique to a large, rural property. And, you'll still have time to sit on the porch with some fresh lemonade and enjoy the view!