A river runs through it . . . Fabulous.

No, not the movie about fly-fishing starring Brad Pitt - my front yard.

As I sit here staring at my computer, agonizing over how to tell readers that progress on my yard is moving about as swiftly as Monday morning traffic through T-Rex, torrential rains are turning my freshly composted plot into a quagmire of mud.

So much for my best-laid plans.

Does Mother Nature have no mercy? Doesn't she know that it's September, and time for yardwork is running out?

After having spread and tilled in two truckloads of horse manure, I was all set for raking and grading - the final preparations before construction of the new sidewalk - and then the rains came.

And now it will have to wait.

Meanwhile, I'll share with you some advice offered to me from a couple of local landscape professionals.

Patty Fairbanks, owner of Lupine Designs in Evergreen, is a pro at plot preparation.

When I asked her what's the most important thing to consider when taking on a xeriscape project, she reaffirmed what I already knew: soil preparation.

"It's really important to amend Colorado's clay soil with a good quality compost . . . If your plants don't have a good, nourishing foundation, they just won't thrive,'' she said.

She recommended BioComp, an organic compost that's a byproduct of Coors Brewing hop waste. It's certified to be weed-free and is routinely tested for quality.

Next I wanted to know about grading, which the dictionary defines as a verb: to level off to a smooth horizontal or sloping surface.

I knew that this would be the next step after tilling, but was unsure of how to go about it.

Patty says that she simply uses a shovel to get the earth moved to the right place, then a hand rake to smooth the surface and remove dirt clods and rocks larger than 1/2-inch around.

I also asked her about creating berms, small hills that add architectural interest to a landscape. (I have a few of these in my plan.)

Creating berms, she said, is an art. "They're more for visual effect than anything and you want them to look natural . . . subtle. It really takes a special touch.

"The idea is to get the rough soil mounded up where you want your berm and then, using a rake, smooth it out, gently sloping to meet the existing grade so it looks natural - not like a mouse under a rug.''

As soon as the dirt dries out, I'll grab my rake and give it a go.

I also received advice via e-mail from Pam Wanek of Broomfield. Pam is a landscape consultant who specializes in native and drought-tolerant plants. As a reader, she was excited to see the recommendation for using blue grama as the primary landscaping grass.

"I have a great deal of experience with blue grama grass, and in my opinion it's the best grass to put into a landscape,'' she said. "I can't imagine a better choice.''

Blue grama needs very little soil amendment, as it actually prefers poor soil. It has a very high satisfactory germination rate - about 10 days. In the first year it may seem that the grass is not coming in as well as you would like, but the second year promises better results.

Blue grama is a bunch grass and is very compatible with wildflowers. Wait until the second year, and then scratch in wildflower seeds in the late fall. Some that do well are penstemon, prairie cone flower, flax, white yarrow, blanket flower and fleabane. Crocus bulbs also will do nicely.

"Being a warm- season grass, blue grama is slow to green up, but by mid- spring, like clockwork it will be completely green . . . Mother Nature is amazing!''

She added that even though blue grama has a reputation for doing poorly in shade, hers is doing fine underneath her trees.

Pam also noted that Colorado has at least five very distinct eco-regions for plant species, from prairie grasslands to alpine tundra.

"The Front Range is primarily the plains and foothills region. Plant choices for the Front Range should be from these two regions. If you choose plants native to higher regions, you'll have problems with plant health. Before you begin planting, figure out what region you're in and the plant selection will be easier to figure out.'' (Local nurseries will be able to help with this.)

Because this is my last column for the season, I would like to thank everyone who has written words of encouragement and advice. I would also like to thank my next-door neighbor Margaret for allowing me to walk up and down her driveway instead of through my mud and manure.

I'll be back here in the spring to show you how the flagstone walkway goes in and to take you along on my exciting journey toward xeriscaped bliss.

For the time being though, I'm going to begin reacquainting myself with my snow shovel.

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