Xeriscaping
101
The
basic premise of xeriscaping is to conserve water and to plant foliage
which is native to your area. You could still have grass - only instead
of a field of green, water guzzling, fertilizer eating, chemical sucking
lawn - you might just have a small area, maybe a play area or an area where
you want to establish a soft spot in your landscape. The five areas
are NATURAL, OASIS, BOGGY,
DESERT & SHADE. They
are determined by the amount of water needs each requires. Then there
are just a few other things which will make your garden the natural habitat
it should be.
There
are 5 areas which you would strive to achieve in xeriscaping - my personal
favorite is the NATURAL area. This is
the spot that you just kind of let go - usually at the back of your property
- or in that area that you forget to water. There you would plant
those varieties of plants which require little water, if any, other than
natural. Also, we let various weeds grow here, uninhibited and have
a brush pile & compost pile in this area. (When we first got
our compost pile I was so excited, I told one of my bosses that I had finally
gotten something I had wanted my entire adult life - he didn't understand.)
These are natural cover areas for birds, small animals, snakes - etc.
They need a home too! Try also to have a hedge of some type for birds
- it keeps them safe from predators - esp if it is a thorny hedge &
if is has berries - all the better - food!
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Then
there is the DESERT area - this is the most sunny
area of your yard. Dry & arid. The sun beats down on it
all day long. This is where I plant my butterfly garden. The
butterflies need to sun and the plants you can get to attract & feed
them are simply beautiful. Being in Florida, my plants bloom all
year long - so depending on where you live you will be able to plant many
of the same plants that I can - as well as many that I can't! This
is where your local nursery man (a knowledgeable one) comes in handy.
You should put drought tolerant plants here - I never water my plants -
unless it hasn't rained for over 2˝ weeks, then I will water very
rarely. But these should also thrive in the sun. Otherwise
you are just throwing away good money.
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The SHADE
garden is nice one and it too can sport lovely plants. Someday, when
I get more time I am going to start a moss garden. (And more shade.)
Our yard came with 3 trees. A bottle brush out front - it is beautiful
and weeping. An orange & a lemon tree in the back. I live
on a peninsula in a semi-tropical area. There is a lot of sun here
(& LOTS of humidity). We have since planted many palms, 2 jacaranda
(although the one in the front yard may not live - another lesson in putting
a plant in the wrong space - you see it gets the right amount of sun but
it is close to the street and the yard is slopped to the street so when
we have torrential rains (maybe once or twice a year) the water pools up
at his roots and smothers him - right now he looks dead but he has come
back before). The one in the back yard is about 20' tall now.
They were planted at the same time. It is full and lovely.
I can't wait till spring and I hope it blooms - they have the most beautiful
lilac blossoms. We have planted 2 crepe myrtle's - one is getting
tall and the other - the same age is still like a bush. Two different
areas, different amounts of light. A Jerusalem Thorn tree - it has
the most lovely small yellow leaves. And on the side yard we have
a ficus tree - it is doing wonderfully - after dying back 2 years
ago in the five frosts that we had. So my word to you here is - plant
a tree. Give wildlife a home in a world where so much is being taken
away - and the good news is - that as your tree grows you can change your
plants around according to the amount of sun they receive each season!
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Do
you have a wet BOGGY area? Why not?
This is where you would plant those plants that LOVE water. If you
don't have one you could make one. Butterflies and bugs need little
beaches to drink from. They are not hard to make and are easy to
maintain and you could have lovely flowers there - that your neighbors
don't.
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My
least favorite is the OASIS - this is where you
plant your roses or whatever type of plant requires a lot of water and
a lot of attention (I don't believe we have an oasis!!!!!) For those
of you who love to spend time tending things - this is your spot to go
wild. If you must have exotics (& we do) then this is the place
to keep them (but remember - depending on your weather - make sure you
can protect them).
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There
are a couple of more things in your natural habitat
that you should have if you are xeriscaping - or in any garden - that is
water, a small pond or a bird bath that you will keep clean. Shelter
for birds, bats, small animals and reptiles. Each one has its place
in our ecosystem. Be sure to have a compost pile for your grass clippings
and other vegetative waste. Every year I bring home a bag of shredded
paper from work to add to our pile and also you can add your b-b-q ash.
Read a book on composting and then use it in your plants and see what a
difference it makes. We do not fertilize at all - except in this
way. If you have birds you shouldn't have too many insect pests to
worry about. That is why I try to draw birds, reptiles & bats
to my yard. That way you do not need to bother with insecticides.
One thing always throws another off. We had a fruit fly scare this
year and had malathiaon spraying, this killed off wasps which are the butterfly's
natural predator. So we had a glut of butterflies - lovely to look
at - but they didn't have enough to eat. Nature balances itself on
its own.
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Please
stop by my other pages and learn more about our Yorkies,
our Ponds and Jeff & ME!
We can't wait for you to visit - in fact we are counting on it & sign
our guest book - we want to visit your pages too - or else e-mail
us & tell us more! Also, there are many, many books on all
of these subjects, pick one up and remember the area you live in and plant for it!
Want to know more about xeriscape - this is the way. Just don't forget - use your BACK button and come on back & see all my other stuff!
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