Landscape Care Standards

These are the “reasonable care standards” for lawns, yards and landscaping in Northcreek. The Architectural Control Committee adopted them in September 2004.

Any change or addition to your landscaping needs approval before you start. See Architectural requests.

Note on water-wise landscaping. Colorado law protects an owner’s right to use drought-tolerant and water-wise landscaping, and limits the HOA’s power to require grass lawns (C.R.S. § 38-33.3-106.5). If a standard on this page disagrees with state law, state law controls.

For expert advice on Colorado lawns and gardens, see CSU Extension in Boulder County and PlantTalk Colorado.

Lawns

Blue grass lawns are kept green during the growing season, typically May through September. When drought causes watering restrictions, owners water according to City recommendations.

A thick turf is the best defense against weeds. Encourage it with correct watering, fertilizing, aerating at least once a year, and careful use of herbicides or hand-pulling of weeds and weed grasses. Fix bare spots as soon as they appear (drought exceptions apply).

Trim lawns where the grass meets curbs, sidewalks, and structures on the lot. If you install a new lawn, many drought-tolerant seed or sod grasses are an alternative to the thirstier Kentucky blue grass.

Mowing

Mow grass to a height of about 3 inches, as CSU Extension recommends. During the peak growing season, that probably means mowing every 7 to 10 days.

Weeds

Control weeds in your lawn and yard. Never let them affect a neighbor’s property, physically or visually. Once weeds bloom and spread their seed, they are difficult, costly and slow to control again. Weed control is even more important in Northcreek because our yards are small and close together.

Weed grasses

Many kinds of weed grasses grow in and near our neighborhood.

• Annual weed grasses, such as crabgrass, can be largely controlled with a pre-emergent herbicide applied in early April, which stops last fall’s seeds from sprouting. Corn gluten is a natural pre-emergent that is safe for children, pets and the environment. It also helps control dandelions, foxtail, pigweed, plantain, lamb’s quarters and curly dock, and it adds nitrogen to the soil.
• Perennial weed grasses can be controlled with targeted herbicides or by digging. Large patches may need to be dug up and replaced with new sod, which is another reason never to let them get out of control.

If you do not know which weed grass you have, take a sample to CSU Extension for identification. Master Gardeners at many local spring plant sales can also identify plants for you.

Planting beds

Keep beds of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals free of weeds and invasive grasses. If a bed is mulched, add fresh mulch as needed to keep it neat. Many owners refresh their mulch each spring. Remove dead plants.

Mulched areas

Keep areas mulched with bark or rock free of weeds, invasive grasses and dead plants. Landscape fabric must not show. A mulch depth of 3 inches is recommended.

Xeriscape, not “zeroscape”

Northcreek favors xeric or “water-wise” plants in our dry climate, with the landscape materials that go with that method of planting. The HOA does not favor extensive use of gravel, lava rock and similar ground covers whose main purpose is to avoid all maintenance.

Since January 2005, the Architectural Control Committee does not approve a landscape plan with more than 30 percent hardscape materials. Existing uses of these materials are grandfathered.

Trees and shrubs

Remove dead trees and shrubs, and dead branches and limbs. On our small lots, plants can grow onto a neighbor’s lot and interfere with their use of it. The HOA encourages neighbors to solve these problems together.