Xeriscape landscape design can be adapted to any location, but in the St.George, where rain is scarce and water bills high, converting your yard to a low-water usage landscape saves time, money and water!
There are 7 steps to xeriscape your landscape:
- Design should fit your lifestyle. What’s nice about a xeriscape landscape is that it’s easy to maintain. If you have a family and/or pets, make it functional for kids and animals. If you want to attract local wildlife like hummingbirds, butterflies, quail and jackrabbits, use native plants.
- Plant for light exposure and water drainage. Desert plants come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. Each has it’s preferences for light and water. Make sure they are well-adapted to the dry, hot desert climate. Be aware of sun exposure and larger trees or hardscapes that produce shade at certain times of the day.
- Don’t totally eliminate grass. Grass is great for kids and pets to run on. Choose turf that’s appropriate for the climate and season. Ground covers can substitute for turf in low-traffic areas.
- Dig. Dig a good hole for each planting with enough lose soil around the root ball.
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Mulch, mulch and mulch some more. Mulch covers the soil to keep it moist, reducing evaporation and
Xeriscape
erosion. It keeps the temperature down even in the middle of the summer heat. Organic mulch like wood chips and compost are good for small garden areas. For larger areas use decorative rock and inorganic mulch.
- Water efficiently. Some desert plants will thrive with just the natural rainfall, but most landscape plants and turf will require watering. The best system is drip irrigation right at the roots reducing evaporation. Set the sprinkler or irrigation system to run overnight, definitely after sundown. This gives the plants enough time to soak up the water before the sun heats up the day.
- Maintain regularly. Xeriscape is low maintenance by design, but all landscapes need some loving care occasionally. Weeds do come up, especially after a rain. Adjust watering schedules seasonally. Prune shrubs and trees that become unruly at the proper times.
We can help you design and build your xeriscape landscape that will save you time and money.