landscape workshop

Landscape Workshop

Sunrise NeighborhoodAugust 16, 2012

Background of the Neighborhood

• Contact the office of Historic Preservation for a complete historyBetsy Kellums at 350-9222

• Betsy.kellum@greeleygov.com

Why Landscape your Yards

• Increased property values• Improve air quality• Improve water quality• Energy conservation• Aesthetic value• Pride in homeownership and your

neighborhood

Weeds

A weed is defined as a troublesome or injurious plant. Plants that are commonly recognized, cultivated and maintained as ornamental, herbal, agricultural or xeriscape are not weeds.

Weeds are not allowed on developed lots and are not considered landscaping.

Weeds on developed lots must be removed and, when needed, landscaping that meets code requirements must be installed and maintained.

Weeds on undeveloped lots must be kept cut low to the ground.

If designated noxious weeds are present, they must either be removed or controlled per the City’s Noxious Weed Management Plan.

Landscape standardsLot Coverage

All yards not covered by an approved building, driveway, walkway or other permanent structure must be landscaped. Bare dirt (except for seasonal vegetable/flower gardens) and weeds are not allowed.

At least 50% of any required yard area, excluding driveways and walkway to the front door shall be live plantings.

At least 50% of any parkway or right-of-way planting area, excluding driveways and public sidewalks, shall be live plantings.

Areas visible from a public right-of-way or adjacent property are required to be landscaped. Yards not visible from the public right-of-way or adjacent property must be kept free from weeds and shall not be bare dirt.

Not 50% Live Planting

50% Live Plant Cover

Why does the City require landscaping and live plantings?

Trees and shrubs provide many benefits including:

reduced home or business heating/cooling energy use,

cleaner air, lowered risk of heat-related illnesses

and deaths, improved storm water control and

water quality,reduced noise levels,provide wildlife habitat,improved aesthetic qualities,increased property values, andshaded roofs and pavement last

longer.

Before and After

When do the landscape requirements apply?

New constructionAll yard areas with a significant change of landscaping must

meet the current Code requirements. Altering 50% or more square feet of required landscape area in front

yard, side yard, street side yard or public or private right-of-wayRemoving any tree in any or each of the front, side, street side yards or

public or private right-of-wayConverting any or each of a front, side, street side yard or public or

private right-of-way from “traditional” to “xeric” as defined in the Code.

Yards that haven’t been maintained and contain primarily bare dirt, weeds or non-live materials not previously allowed under City codes.

What are the required yards:

Parkway

Side Yard

Street Side yard

Street

Drivew

ay

Alley

30’ Alley Clear Vision Zone

Front Yard (42” Maximum Fence Height)

Street

Rear Yard (6’ Maximum Fence Height)

Drivew

ay

15’ Driveway Clear Vision Zone

Sidewalk

House

Parkway

Side Yard

Street Side Yard

What is the Parkway?The public right-of-way (ROW) is the area between the front

property line and the street.The parkway is generally the open area between the public sidewalk

and the street.This area is your responsibility to maintain – whether it is snow

removal or landscaping.Rock, gravel and mulch are strongly discouraged, since the material

may end up on the sidewalk, creating a hazard. If using rock, gravel or mulch it needs to be contained in edging.

The ROW must contain 50% live plantings. If space allows, a street tree is required. Additional plantings of sod, perennials, and or non-woody groundcover (except spreading junipers) may be needed to meet this requirement.

Before and After

How do I determine how much live coverage I need?

First figure the size of the yard:• Measure the yard’s length and width• Multiply the length times the width to calculate the

square feet of the yard• Measure the driveway’s length and width and multiply

to figure the square feet of the driveway; do the same for any paved walkways leading to the front door.

• Subtract the driveway and walkways from the yard area. The difference is the square footage of the yard that must contain landscape material.

Alley

30’ Alley Clear Vision Zone

Front Yard (42” Maximum Fence Height)

Street

Rear Yard (6’ Maximum Fence Height)

Drivew

ay

15’ Driveway Clear Vision Zone

Sidewalk

House

Parkway

Side Yard

Street Side Yard

Take measurements:Front Yard• Step 1 – measure yard

length & width• Step 2 – measure

driveway length & width

• Step 3 – measure walkway

Example

Length Width Length x Width Calculations

Required Yard 25 feet 75 feet 25 x 75 = 1375 1875

Driveway Area 25 feet 20 feet 25 x 20 = 500 - 500 = 1375 sq ft

Walkway Area 15 feet 3 feet 15 x 3 = 45 -45 = 1330 sq ft

TOTAL PLANTING AREA

1330 square feet

Calculating live plantings

• Divide the square footage of the yard that must be landscaped by two. This gives you the minimum square footage of live plantings needed to cover one-half the required yard.– In the previous example, the total planting area

was 1330 square feet. So the minimum area for live planting is 1330/2 = 665 square feet.

Vegetation Credit Table

Type of Plant Material Credit in Square Feet

Evergreen tree (at least 25’ tall at maturity) 100

Shade tree 50 (25 sq ft in right-of-way or parkway)

Ornamental tree 25 (dwarf trees with mature width less than 10’ = 25 sq ft)

Large shrub (more than 8’ tall at maturity) 50

Medium shrub ( 4-8 feet tall at maturity) 25

Small shrub (less than 4’ tall at maturity) 10

Evergreen groundcover (less than 1’ tall at maturity) 25

Perennial plant, groundcover, bulb/tuber, ornamental grass

5 (ornamental grass over 4’ tall = 10 sq ft)

Sod – calculate area covered by sod Full credit for sq ft

ExampleType of plant Square feet

of plantNumber of plants Square feet x

numberHackberry (shade tree) 50 1 50 x 1 = 50

Spring Snow Crabapple (ornamental tree)

25 1 25 x 1 = 25

Sea Green Juniper (evergreen ground cover)

25 6 25 x 6 = 150

Potentilla (small shrub) 10 10 10 x 10 = 100

Iris (bulb/tuber) 5 10 5 x 10 = 50

Daylily 5 10 5 x 10 = 50

Little Bluestem (ornamental grass)

5 10 5 x 10 = 50

Sod 250 1 250 x 1 = 250

TOTAL PLANT AREA 675 square feet

• To determine if the existing or proposed landscape meets the minimum requirements divide the total plant area by the total planting area. Then multiply by 100 to find the percent of live plant coverage:– From the previous examples:

675 square feet ÷ 1330 square feet = .51 x 100 = 51%(total plant area ÷ total planting area) x 100 = percent live

cover

Before and After

What else do I need to know?

• Public right-of-way/parkway– A permit is required to plant, trim or remove trees in the

parkway or public right-of-way.• The Planning Department can assist you in

determining the amount of landscaping needed to meet code requirements.

• Fences in the front yard cannot exceed 42” in height. Chain link fencing is not allowed.

• Landscaping should not interfere with traffic or pedestrian safety.

Xeriscape

• The use of climate adapted plants and utilizing planting techniques to create a beautiful, low water garden

Xeriscape: The Benefits

• Water Conservation (46% or more savings)

• Lower water bills• Can be reduced

maintenance• Attractive (especially in

winter)• Provides habitat for

wildlife

Xeriscape –Seven Principals

1. Plan and Design2. Create Practical

Turf Areas3. Select Low Water

Plants4. Use Soil

Amendments5. Use Mulches6. Irrigate Efficiently7. Maintain the

Landscape

Lets just get this out of the way right now-nor is it Xeriscape

This is not Xeriscape And will not meet city code

Planning and Design

• Where does is make sense to have a pathway?

• What do you want to screen? Enhance?

• Do you have children, dogs or want to live outside?

• Do you want to dine or entertain outside?

Create Practical Turf Areas

• Where does it make sense to have turf?

• Where does it make sense to have sidewalks, decks or hardscape?

• Slopes• Long narrow stripes• Foundations

Use Low Water Plants

• Hydrozone-group your low water plants together and your higher water plants together.

• Put higher water plants where they are easy to water and keep an eye on.

Use Soil Amendments

• Front range soils lack organic matter

• Compost is not the same as topsoil

• Compost is organic matter and breaks up clay

• Compost helps sand retain water(recommend more compost with sandy soils)

• Helps the soil texture• Adds organic matter• Encourages beneficial organisms

Use Mulch

• Helps soil retain water• Reduces weed growth• Prevents temperature

fluctuations• Gives landscape a finish

look

Irrigate Efficiently• Runoff• Overspray• Mid-day• Wind • Pressure• Cycle and soak• Slopes• Back flow preventer

Maintenance

• Watering• Weeding • Pruning • Deadheading• Mowing• Sprinkler maintenance

Costs of Xeriscape

Ways to Save Money• Use coupons

– Valpak– Online coupons for landscape yards

• Buy compost & mulch in bulk at landscape yards rather than in bags

• Buy smaller plants-they will grow• Phase your project over the season or year• Find a gardener friend(s) and divide

perennials• Take advantage of plant swaps• Collect seeds in the fall• Take advantage of fall sales on trees, shrubs

and perennials• Salvage hardscape materials (bricks,

flagstone, rock)• Make your own compost• Chip your tree trimmings for mulch

What can you expect to pay?

• Compost $16-22 /cy• Mulch $30-55/ cy• Rock $200 /ton (~1.25 cy)• Sod $2.25-3.00• Grass seed $3.99/pound + up

• ~6 pounds /1000 sf

• 1 gallon perennial ~$10• 4” perennials $5-8• Shade Trees $260• Ornamental $50-80• 5gallon shrubs $25-45

CY + Cubic Yard = 3’x3’x3’=27 cubic feet

Installing a Lawn

• Handouts for obtaining a new lawn variance

• We require 4 cy of compost/1000 sf of lawn

• Overseeding an old or patchy lawn

• How to water to wean it off of the water

Tree Trimming

Large trees need to be professionally trimmed every 5 to 10 years. It is unsafe and harmful to the tree to not use a licensed professional.

Professionals must remove limbs in a controlled manner to avoid injury and property damage.

They must work at extreme heights using the proper equipment and safest techniques.

Each tree must be inspected before work to discover any hazards.

Sometimes hazards are found that can cause injury or death to the tree worker or cause property damage.

Tree removal work is extremely dangerous and there are many hazards involved.

Sometimes those hazards are visible but silent killers.

Tree work within 10’ of overhead utility lines must always be performed by the power service.

Never, ever “TOP” a tree! This is very bad for a tree and extremely dangerous to you.

NO

Tree Maintenance

Rock that is used as mulch is very bad for trees.

Rock mulch raises temperatures and does not help to retain moisture. Rock mulch contributes to many tree deaths.

A better choice for mulch is natural wood chips.The chips help to stabilize soil and air temperatures and retain moisture.

Trees that are grown in lawns should always have a mulched area around them.This helps to keep lawn maintenance equipment from causing them damage.

Installing a mulch ring around your trees is important and CRUCIAL for the health of your trees.

Lawn maintenance equipment causes SEVERE damage to trees!

Tree Planting

Trees are sold in containers or heavy wire baskets.We recommend planting trees that are sold in containers.

Proper planting depth for your new tree is very important! Measure the depth of your planting pit first and double check the depth of the tree root ball.

When you dig a hole to plant a new tree, make sure the root flare of the tree sits at soil line or slightly above, NEVER below soil line.

The trunk flare or root flare should always sit at or just above soil line.

When planting trees that were grown in containers, slice the root system vertically 5 or 6 times to prevent roots that want continue circling the tree as they would in the container.

Root defects like this can be reduced by simply slicing or teasing the root system at planting time.

We use 2 stakes to hold the tree in place for at least 1 entire year.

When staking your tree, always use a canvas strap and never wire that can cause damage to the tree trunk and branches.

Build a soil berm around your new tree. The berm should hold about 5 to 10 gallons of water.

Fill this soil berm with water at least twice a month in the summer and once a month in the winter when the temperatures are warm.

The best way to determine if your tree is getting enough water is to consistently dig in the soil around your tree and feel if the soil is too dry or too wet. The soil here is extremely dry.

SummaryTree Trimming Always hire a professional to trim or remove your trees Trees should be trimmed every 5 to 10 years Never, ever work around or near overhead utility lines

Tree Maintenance Do not use rock as mulch Place a wood chip mulch ring around your tree

Tree Planting Plant your new tree at or slightly above surrounding soil level Score the root system of a containerized grown tree Check soil moisture to see if your tree has the right amount of water