Yet another yard with winter kill and mite damage. Seems to be the norm this year as our area was stricken with drought combined with a mild winter. The lack of snow left many (if not the majority) of landscapes very thirsty. Mites tend to attack drought stressed grass; especially those south facing, full sun exposure yards like this one.
This large (ok, very large) front yard was a challenge. The homeowners wanted to maintain the homes architectural appeal by keeping with a traditional lawn-dominated landscape. However, due to the cost of water on such a large area they wanted to incorporate xeriscape principals.
We replaced a large section of grass using a Texas hybrid bluegrass that uses 30% less water when established (some say up to 50%!) Rather than fill the entire front yard with sod we created a more organic shape, providing more flow to the otherwise square frontyard.
We built a beautiful flagstone path to connect the driveway to the front sidewalk, making the area much more functional.
Adding a dry stream bed along the side of the yard provided a designated drainage area along the property line and helped break up the expanse of rock.
Mulch planting beds and accent boulders were incorporated around the yard with drought (and heat) tolerant plants to add color, texture and year round interest to an otherwise huge expanse of landscape.
This yard is great proof that Xeriscapes can be green and beautiful; all while accomplishing the ultimate objective of being more water friendly.
