Back in the early 1990's, when the whole xeriscape idea was just getting off the ground, I had the opportunity to meet a fascinating person in Colorado's "green" industry.

Dick Brady is the owner and founder of Brady's Nursery in Canon City. A former president of the Colorado Nurseryman's Association, Dick combines a thorough knowledge of the industry with a practical and irreverent attitude.

He told me about when he was asked by a group of landscape architects what advice he would give to implement the whole xeriscape idea. His reply went something like this: "Well, first I would line up all you architects against a wall and shoot you, then I would go about some of the old homesteads and see what's still growing."

I loved it. Since then I have worked many years in the tree and landscape maintenance industry. What this means is our company gets the privilege of taking care of some of these landscape architect's "visions". From a practical standpoint these visions can be a pain in the butt.

In my eyes, form should follow function. Some would argue that eventually it must. I don't think this gets taught in Landscape Architecture school. Their designs can look great on paper, maybe even when installed, but maintaining them can be a headache.

What do I mean? Isolated patches of lawn that are impossible to reach with a mower. Sprinkler heads and outdoor lighting that gets installed right next to roads or driveways, ready for the first snow plow truck to smash them to smithereens. Low water, or xeriscape, plants that are put where they catch too much water, causing them to grow out of control.

Boulders which are placed "artistically" in turf, tripling the time needed to mow and trim. Trees and large shrubs that are planted too close to the house, creating all sorts of problems. Lawns which are installed around our native pines and oak, leading to too much growth in the summer and storm breakage in the winter.

Homes Associations hire these architects to make plant recommendations, leading to some very odd choices. In Castle Pines you can plant Russian Sage but not Lilacs. Go out to some of those old homesteads Dick talked about and you will find lilacs. They are tough and hardy. Russian sage, in my eyes,looks like a glorified weed. Especially when it is over watered, as it usually is.

These are just a few examples, I could go on.

So what's the solution? Maybe the colleges, such as CSU, which offer Landscape Architecture degrees need to make summer internships in landscape maintenance mandatory. Get it in these guys' heads that their designs need to be functional as well as "artistic".

I mean, us guys in charge of maintaining the landscapes would occasionally like to line 'em up and shoot 'em, but really that's not a viable alternative.

Darn it.