With its name inspired by the word “verdure,” meaning lush, there’s no question that we’re embracing greenery and green spaces more than ever in our latest development, Optima Verdana®. The development not only welcomes our signature vertical landscaping system to the Midwest while complementing the surrounding neighborhood with private terraces with lush landscaping, a reaching sky deck, and a nature-bridging courtyard.

Within the comfort of their homes, some Optima Verdana residents have access to private landscaped terraces. Each terrace, rich with lush and ornate greenery, delivers personal greenspaces that complement the modern architecture surrounding them. Just a short stroll from each home, residents have access to Optima Verdana’s Skydeck and Garden Lounge, which provides even more access to sunlight, fresh foliage, and a seasonal herb garden beloved by the community.

Found in the heart of the community, Optima Verdana’s 1,500-square-foot open-air courtyard provides another amazing space for residents looking to immerse themselves in nature. The extensive greenspace features 7-foot-high garden walls, an abundance of verdant trees and many tranquil seating options for those looking to spend extra time outdoors.

The highlight of Optima Verdana is the introduction of our signature vertical landscaping system to the Midwest. While Optima Lakeview® uses vertical landscaping in its indoor atrium, vertical landscaping is used throughout the entire building at Optima Verdna. Besides providing aesthetic values, the green feature is a key element of our sustainability initiatives and plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy environment. The system, with self-contained irrigation and drainage, provides a haven for local urban wildlife, promotes evaporative cooling, re-oxygenates the air, reduces dust and smog levels, reduces ambient noise and detains stormwater.

Like the green spaces in our other developments, Optima Verdana’s supply of greenery allows our residents to enjoy a wealth of benefits. Green areas in urban environments help provide ample space to stretch and engage around vegetation, improving cardiovascular health and relieving stress.

At Optima®, we are dedicated to harmonizing form and function by bringing the outdoors into our communities. The lush private terraces, tranquil courtyard and signature vertical landscaping at Optima Verdana welcome that outdoor experience and allow us to fashion a sanctuary of our own.

As with many books, movies, and other forms of American-focused media, you’ll often find images of a lush green lawn, situated flush against a modest home. Unfortunately, to keep these lawns green all-year-round requires a good deal of water and upkeep. And with climate change and longer droughts looming, the need for a more environmentally-effective system of water conservation has become urgent.

At Optima®, we often talk about how the architecture of a residence and the land it inhabits can ultimately affect the landscape. For us, the conversation around, “How will this new structure affect the land around us?” remains central and compelling. As with all of our Arizona properties, it has been vital to embrace different forms of landscaping in order to design and build more environmentally-viable spaces that reduce the amount of water being used in more arid climates. Enter xeriscaping as one of our go-to solutions.

Xeriscaping in the simplest of terms is the practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. This means xeriscaped landscapes need little or no water beyond what the natural climate provides. This way of landscaping can be traced back to the early 1980s, originating in Denver, Colorado, and has become widely popular in some areas because of its environmental and financial benefits. 

The importance of xeriscaping lies in its power to nurture vegetation that can survive with little to no water. Trees such as myrtles, and flowers such as daffodils are known as “drought-tolerant” and can thrive in dry climates, making them appropriate for a landscaping system such as xeriscaping.

Xeriscaping can reduce water usage by 50 or 75 percent. This in turn saves literally tons of water and money for any given community. Another critical component of xeriscaping is installing better and more efficient irrigation methods. One way this can be achieved is through grouping different types of plants together with similar water needs.

Today, the Optima® team is focusing on the landscaping design for Optima McDowell Mountain Village®, with a focus on water conservation and a 210,00-gallon storm water tank that will repurpose captured water for irrigation. There will be much more to share on this topic in the months ahead!