Landscaped suburban Lafayette yard of Victoria Finch, the garden category winner of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado Excellence in Landscape Award

* Contractor: Suzanne Thorn, Innovative Outdoor Design

* Type: Xeric ornamental perennial borders and evergreens accented by the judicious use of turf, built from scratch on the site of a new home.

* What makes this garden special: Finch wanted her garden to express the principles of feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice that incorporates elements of fire, water, earth and air to achieve a state of bliss. "That was very important to me," Finch said.

Finch worked with the landscape designer to incorporate plants with cool colors to represent water and air, and hot colors to express the fire element. read more