Opting for an Xeriscape allows you to be less dependent on irrigation without sacrificing aesthetic-appeal.
Xeriscape is defined as a style of landscape design requiring little or no irrigation or maintenance. This doesn’t mean you have to skip out on a lawn! With careful planning and design, incorporating xeriscape with a lawn area can provide you with the best of both worlds. Living in Texas, xeriscaped designs thrive under the climate. Not only does it save water, but it allows your space to look great year round no matter if there’s 100 degree sunshine or 32 degree overcast.
Native plants aren’t always used for xeriscaping, but because Texas is such a warm environment, they are the go-to for this type of work. Native plants are already adapted to our environment, making them the optimal choice for survival. Many native Texas plants are drought tolerant, making them perfect for this type of landscaping. Agave, Cacti, Yucca, & Hesperaloe are just some of the examples that we love to work with! These plants are green year round and make great focal points. Evergreen perennials are another option if native plants aren’t your style. Hymenoxys, Damianita, and Salvia Greggii are a few examples of perennials that keep their green foliage throughout the year while also providing colorful, seasonal blooms!
Xeriscape can look both rugged and neat depending on design. Incorporating asymmetrical shapes and edges can help tidy up a xeriscaped lawn. Here at Native Edge, we space plants out, to give them room to grow. Sporadic planting allows for the incorporation of odd-shaped edges and tall planters to add dimension to the landscaping.
The use of a top coat is necessary to keep the landscaping looking sharp. Gravels provide excellent drainage which xeriscape plants typically need. It can also be used to blend planted areas with paths and seating or gathering areas, giving a complete and cohesive look to the space. If you’re tired of spending time and money on watering and upkeep of your current landscaping, xeriscape may just be right for you!
Hello! We bought our house over the summer and I would like to explore options for the backyard. I’ve got a chicken coop with six chickens, a preexisting deck, an oak tree and a pecan tree, plus some existing raised beds planted with perennials. I am looking at different options so that we’ll spend even more time back there and don’t have to worry about lawn maintenance — thinking xeriscape, areas where the chickens can run around (maybe more hardscaping than there currently is?), also wondering about a firepit outside. Open to ideas with what we’ve already got back there!
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Great post! We use a lot of similar concepts for some landscaping projects we do for our clients. The xeriscapes are great because they hardly have any issues when we go back to do maintenance.
I love LOVE my completely redesigned yard. Most plants were chosen to be pollinator-attractors, as well as low-water and heat tolerant. And like their name implies, Native plants have the Edge!
Dillon Tuttle was the Landscape designer (or is he a Landscape Architect now?) Every plant in the yard is a perennial, to keep coming back! To allay my concerns after last February’s freeze, Dillon revised our plan slightly for more winter-hardy plants, but still native ones.
Dillon, are you going to add my yard to your website? I’m proud of it now, but expect to be even prouder in the spring, with more flowers.