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In the NoCo

Want a more drought-tolerant yard? Take these small steps first

A colorful garden full of shrubs, some yellow flowers and one tree with green leaves in front of a beige house.
Natalie Skowlund
/
KUNC
A colorful drought-tolerant garden in a north Longmont neighborhood on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Planting drought-tolerant choices has a variety of benefits, including reduced utility bills, enhanced habitat for local wildlife and even less regular yard work.

There’s no getting around it: it’s really, really hot on Colorado’s Front Range right now.

According to the National Weather Service, the Denver metro area typically sees about 45 days each summer when the temperature hits 90 degrees or hotter. And that’s when many homeowners might wish they had a more resilient lawn.

Allisa Linfield is a horticulturist with Colorado State University extension. She and the other lawn and garden experts there spend a lot of time researching the science of creating a more drought-tolerant yard.

A lawn makeover is a daunting project for most homeowners to tackle all at once, so Allisa joined ITN’s executive producer Brad Turner to share some guidelines for creating a more resilient yard – one small step at a time.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.