Several Colorado landscape design firms received peer honors this week during the annual Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado awards ceremony.
Now in their 43rd year, the Excellence in Landscape Awards recognize projects that required landscapers to overcome challenging site obstacles, and that reflect dominant garden-industry trends.
The awards illustrate “that from the design process all the way through to weekly maintenance, there is significant technical knowledge required to create distinctive landscapes,” says Kristen Fefes, ALCC’s executive director. “Receiving an award solidifies that.”
This year’s winners mirror two major garden and landscaping trends: outdoor rooms and sustainability.
“The biggest trend that we’ve seen in recent years is this extension of the home to the outdoor room or outdoor kitchen,” Fefes says. Even when family budgets are tight or scaled back, Colorado homeowners want to use and enjoy their outdoor space.
Beyond that, homeowners are incorporating edibles into their landscapes, favoring native plants and rediscovering Xeriscape options. “It’s not just a fad,” Fefes says of the “greening” of the garden. “It really is something that’s going to continue.”
To see photos of all the winning gardens, visit
Elana Ashanti Jefferson: 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com
