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Top: Trees included Canada red chokecherry (left) and spruce. Sunflowers, hollyhocks and pansies are planted in the foreground. The irrigation system uses a Gould's 1-½ horsepower pump with 60 mesh Vu-Flo filter, and a Hunter controller to run six zones of lawn irrigation and three zones of subsurface drip irrigation. Green Concepts installed over 1,200 feet of PVC piping, sized per flow, and 54 Maxipaw rotors, chosen for their ability to handle the dirty water that came from the waste-water irrigation ditch. Middle: Cross Timbers composite decking was used for the floor, railings, benches, planters, built in grill, cooking cabinets, and octagonal shaped table (to match the angles of the deck). It was selected for its durability, warranty and hidden fastener system. The planter boxes on the deck are equipped with Netafim drip irrigation. Bottom: Drought-tolerant plantings include dwarf blue globe spruce, Rudbeckia (bottom right and top left) and Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (left). To help retain moisture, trap organic matter and prevent weeds, scoria stone chips (inset), which stay in place in high winds, were used as mulch. When installing shrubs and trees, she over-digs holes with Dingo augers, again to allow better root growth. Additional Glacier Gold is mixed into each planting hole, as well as PHC Tree Saver, which contains rooting hormones, mycorrhizal fungi, and a polymer to retain moisture at the root zone. The pre-emergent herbicide, Treflan, is applied to form a barrier against weeds. "The other key to our sustainable planting is mulching," says Nistico. "Due to the high winds in our area, bark mulches don't stay where placed. At Dillman's, we used scoria stone chips." Green… and Colorful Wichita blue junipers were planted to frame the front entry, and dwarf Korean lilacs were embedded along the foundations. Blue globe spruce (Nistico's signature plant) was installed for color impact along with Bonica roses, blue salvia, catmint, cranesbill geraniums, and self-seeding pansies. To buffer the dog yard and provide the dogs shade, Green Concepts installed aspens and feather reed grass with an underplanting of juniper. In the backyard, the dark green of two Austrian pines contrast with the blue of aspens and a Colorado blue spruce. Peking cotoneaster and Arnold's red honeysuckle create a living wall just below the deck railings. A Skycole honey locust provides shade while maintaining views. Blue globe spruce, Russian sage, perennial geraniums, and pansies were installed to highlight the entries onto the deck. Hybrid lilacs and Canada red chokecherries were used to delineate the property perimeters. To separate the property from the road, two 15-foot spruce trees (the only plantings that the previous owners had) were transplanted to the center island along with three more spruce trees. Beartooth Hydroseed installed a mix of grass seed to create an alkaline tolerant, green lawn. Bluegrass Sod was installed in the backyard for the dogs. DBM Seclusion's Drawbacks According to Nistico, one of the biggest challenges with this job, and all installations, is the remoteness of Cody. "All my plant materials are shipped by truck, usually monthly during season," she says. "I have used Glacier Nursery out of Kalispell, Mont., both for the quality of their materials and their regular shipping into Wyoming. After plants have been stacked in a truck for several days, I like to keep them in my holding beds to ensure that they are at their best when installed at a customer's house." Soil amendments also have to be shipped in: compost and other products from Rexford, Idaho; scoria stone from Sheridan, Wyo.; bark mulch from Billings, Mont. And truck drivers don't like delivering to Cody without an outgoing load. But as challenging as it may be to work as a landscape contractor there, Nistico, who fell in love with the area 12 years ago when she and her daughter moved from Cleveland, Ohio, admits that it is "very rewarding." LC November 2013 25