Northern Water mark
Northern Water Design Tool
Water-Wise Landscape Planning from the Conservation Gardens
Northern Water

Free to Use ยท No Sign-Up Required

Northern Water
Design Tool

Upload a photo of your yard and get a custom water-wise design, a top-down planting plan, and a plant list drawn entirely from Northern Water's Conservation Gardens Plant List.

For homeowners, HOAs, and water-wise professionals across the Northern Water service area.

A front yard with a thirsty lawn, before redesign

1Your yard today

Photo or Street View

The same yard redesigned as a water-wise landscape

2Water-wise concept

Low-water plants replace the lawn

Planting plan sheet with a top-down plan and numbered plant key

3Planting plan & plant list

Ready for the nursery or a landscaper

1 Your Property

Enter your address to pull satellite + street view, or upload a yard photo.

2 Your Site Data

Real data about your lot, instead of guesses: sun and heat mapping, roof runoff and rain gardens, greywater, and 3D scans. Save it with your project; soon it will help decide where every plant goes.

3 Landscape Features

Choose what you'd love to see in your new landscape.

A water-wise front yard with native grasses and flowers

Hardscape Features

Tap everything you'd like in your landscape.

๐Ÿ“ Additional Instructions

Anything specific you want in the design โ€” style, focal points, must-haves, client requests, etc.

Free โ€” no sign-up needed

Every design is built from this list

Northern Water Conservation Gardens Plant List

379 plants proven in Northern Coloradoโ€™s semiarid climate, including 80 Plant Selectยฎ plants and 287 low- or very-low-water choices. The design tool chooses every plant from this list.

Download the official PDF

379 plants

๐ŸŒณ Rocky Mountain Maple

Acer glabrum

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 10-20' ร— 10-15'๐ŸŒผ Early Spring Greenish-Yellow

๐ŸŒณ Boxelder

Acer negundo

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 25-35' ร— 20-25'๐ŸŒผ Spring Yellow-green

๐ŸŒณ Sensation Boxelder

Acer negundo 'Sensation'

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 25-30' ร— 20-25'๐ŸŒผ Early Spring Yellow-green

๐ŸŒณ Hot Wings Tatarian Maple

Acer tataricum 'GarAnn'

Plant Selectยฎ
Moderate-Dry Sun, Partial Sun๐Ÿ“ 15-18' ร— 15-18 '๐ŸŒผ Summer Red (samaras)

๐ŸŒณ Pacific Sunset Maple

Acer truncatum x platanoides 'Pacific Sunset'

Medium Sun๐Ÿ“ 30-40' ร— 25-30'

๐ŸŒธ Common White Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 1-2' ร— 2-3'๐ŸŒผ Summer White

๐ŸŒธ Paprika Yarrow

Achillea millefolium 'Paprika'

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 18-24" ร— 18-24"๐ŸŒผ Summer Brick Red/Yellow Centers

๐ŸŒธ Terra Cotta Yarrow

Achillea millefolium 'Terra Cotta'

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 18-24" ร— 18-24"๐ŸŒผ Summer Peach

๐ŸŒธ Moonshine Yarrow

Achillea 'Moonshine'

Low Sun๐Ÿ“ 24-30" ร— 18-24"๐ŸŒผ Summer Light Yellow

๐ŸŒพ Undaunted Alpine Plume Grass

Achnatherum calamagrostis

Plant Selectยฎ
Moderate-Dry Sun, Partial Sun๐Ÿ“ 18-24" ร— 2 -3 feet๐ŸŒผ Summer Silver Plumes

๐ŸŒธ Bugsbane

Actaea racemosa

Medium Partial-Full Shade๐Ÿ“ 3-5' ร— 3'๐ŸŒผ Mid-Late Summer White

๐ŸŒณ Ohio Buckeye

Aesculus glabra

Medium Sun๐Ÿ“ 30-40' ร— 20-30'๐ŸŒผ Spring Yellow