Does your yard have some decorative, thirsty turf that you only visit to mow? Make the switch this summer to a water-wise look that fits naturally into our Colorado climate.

A diverse, water-smart landscape of trees and plants brings summer shade and year-round beauty to our neighborhoods. It also offers rich habitat for the wildlife, birds and pollinators that live among us.

Start with a plant or two, or a patch of lawn.

And you don’t have to go it alone. Resources to help guide your journey include:

Remodel Your Yard — Find free water-wise landscape designs and tips.

Colorado State University Extension — Find resources to help you be successful with flowers, vegetable plants, trees, shrubs and more.

Plant Select — Look for the Plant Select label at your local garden store when buying plants that thrive in the high plains and Rocky Mountain regions. Developed from a nonprofit collaboration of CSU, Denver Botanic Gardens and professional horticulturists, this resource can help you pick the right plant for the right place.

Resource Central — Check out the spring and fall garden sales from this nonprofit. Home to the popular Garden In A Box program with plant-by-number designs, its experts have helped people save water for more than 40 years. Sign up for sale notifications.

Water-smart plants come in a wide range of colors and textures for yards of all shapes and sizes.