Behind the Scenes at the 2018 CO Garden & Home Show

Posted by: Deryn Davidson, Boulder County Extension

Every year the Colorado Garden Foundation hosts the Colorado Garden & Home Show in Denver. From the website:

"Discover the Rocky Mountain region’s oldest, largest and most prestigious garden and home show – a nine-day spectacular event at the Colorado Convention Center– where you can find inspiration from the latest ideas and trends in landscaping, gardening and home improvement. Enjoy the multitude of fragrances as you stroll through more than an acre of professionally landscaped gardens – 11 in all.  Talk to representatives from more than 650 companies from 25 states and Canada. Visit with the region’s gardening gurus and home improvement experts about the best ways to move your home and garden projects forward." 

An acre of landscaped gardens inside the Convention Center?!? The effort that goes into creating all of those gardens is huge and this year I got to be a part of it. CSU Extension has an educational display every year, and every year a different area county takes over the responsibility. This year it was Boulder County's turn. Planning began in July and after monthly meetings and lots of brainstorming our crew came up with, what we believe is, a fun and educational display all about "Wise Water Harvesting". 

The focus of the display is on both active (rain barrels) and passive (landscaping techniques) rainwater harvesting. We created a miniature home landscape complete with a little house, veggie garden, rain garden and dry-creek bed (swale). The process of completing these indoor landscapes takes place over the course of three intense days. Upon arrival there were 5 large "garden beds" constructed of  concrete blocks that were filled with mulch. Aaaaah, the blank slate to make our vision a reality! 

We had a crew of CO Master Gardeners and a spousal volunteer who started unloading the materials and supplies. Once the plants arrived those were unloaded and staged awaiting their final placement. We all got to work sculpting the mulch, building the house, constructing the set, installing the fence, planting the plants and placing the signs. We were in our own world while the rest of the humongous exhibit hall was busy with other vendors doing the same thing: creating their worlds and getting ready to share their products and vision with the public. 

In addition to the miniature landscape there is a bed with a full size rain garden, and another with a mock-up wall with full size rain barrel. The final two beds include one with info on Plant Talk and the other full of Plant Select plants. 

Plant Select Display

Rain Garden

House Mock-Up

What a fun break from the norm and a good excuse to get dirty in the middle of winter. We all got a little bit of a gardening fix while it was snowing outside!! It was a real treat to see our vision become a reality and hopefully the many, many members of the public who go to the CO Garden & Home Show will leave with new ideas and inspiration for incorporating rainwater harvesting into their own landscape. 

These photos just don't do it justice so go checkout our display and all of the many, many others in person if you can! The show runs through March 4th. For hours and more info on attending the show go to:

http://coloradogardenfoundation.org/colorado-garden-home-show/attending-the-show-2 

Confused about rainwater collecting?

Posted by Irene Shonle, CSU Extension in Gilpin County

Ever wondered why there are so few rain barrels for sale in garden centers in Colorado?  That’s because there are laws against collecting rainwater here  - with some exceptions, which I will get to below. 

I believe we are the only state in the Country that doesn’t actively encourage rainwater collecting.  This is because the state of Colorado “claims the right to all moisture that falls within its borders” and that “said moisture is declared to be the property of the people of this state, dedicated to their use pursuant” to the Colorado constitution.  The right to this water is then based on a system of prior appropriation, and few people have water rights that are senior enough to allow them to divert water by collecting and holding it in rainbarrels or cisterns.

But wait! – I can just hear you protest now – “I heard that there was a bill that was passed that allowed us to collect rainwater!  I’ve seen ads that tell me I can!”

I know, I’ve seen those ads, too.  Unfortunately, the ad creators didn’t carefully read the bill.   Or they were confused.  And I will grant that there is much confusion about what is allowed and not allowed.   To help clarify, we had Extension Water Resources Specialist Perry Cabot write up some information on the bill (and this has been reviewed by the Colorado Division of Water Resources, so you can consider it to be accurate):

Senate Bill 09-080, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor during the 2009 legislative session, allows limited collection and use of precipitation for landowners, under the following circumstances:

1.      The property on which the collection takes place is residential property

2.      The landowner uses a well, or is legally entitled to a well, for the water supply

3.      The landowner has (or is eligible for) a well permitted for uses according to Section 37-92-602 or Section 37-90-105, C.R.S.

4.      There is no water supply available in the area from a municipality or water district, and

5.      The rainwater is collected only from the roof of a building that is used primarily as residence

6.      The water is used only for those uses that are allowed by, and identified on, the well permit

NOTE: Rooftop precipitation collection permits cannot be issued if the water source operates under a system using an augmentation plan.  Most importantly, contact your local Division of Water Resources office for more information and detail on eligibility:  www.water.state.co.us

303-866-3581.

So, to further translate what that means:

If you get a water bill, you can’t collect rainwater (see point #4)… I know… bummer.

If you have a well, you can only collect rainwater for the same purposes as is identified on your permit.  So if you have a household-use only permit, you can only collect rainwater for indoor uses such as flushing toilets or watering houseplants.   More bummer.

If you’re interested in gardening, but don’t have water rights, or want to reduce your water usage, you may want to watch a webinar on no-water gardening for higher elevations: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p6gj6jy4fzu/