It’s called Curb Appeal. It’s the first thing you see when you drive up to a house and it’s an immediate reaction one gets. If you like the house and how it looks, the landscaping is like the frosting on a cake, it’s the finishing. We live in an area blessed with Mediterranean climate and therefore almost anything grows around the calendar year. But, water is an issue and becoming a bigger one as the year goes by. We are in a drought and what you plant, and how you care for it will determine whether you have that landscaping a year or two from now.
Landscaping can provide outdoor spaces, define an area in your yard, or set a theme. The kind of plants you select will determine your success or failure. If you plant native plants your success rate will jump dramatically and if you water those plants with a drip system you’ll have a garden even with draconian water rationing. Yes that could happen like it did in the late 1970’s, when the only way plants saw water was by pouring gray water on them. We chose to let grass die because we didn’t have the water to keep it green.
What I so love about this garden is the beautiful wysteria. It’s pruned into a lovely shape and when it’s in flower in the spring it’s a show-stopper. But, this is not a yard made up of native plants and the large grassy area is sure to lose it’s beauty without large amounts of water.
Our area requires thought before you plant grass. If you absolutely must have it, only use it in a small area and then consider ground coverings or other materials such as stone, rock or pebbles to give interest to larger areas. It will keep your maintenance much easier.
Before you start a landscaping job today you really do need to talk to an expert. Many nurseries will provide landscaping plans if you buy your plants from them and do this for free. Plan out your yard, the areas you want to make special for outdoor living, and how you’ll water the plants. Installing a drip system is not rocket science and you can easily do this yourself to save money. Don’t forget to mulch the ground between plants as this keeps weeds at bay and makes the landscape look nicer.
