Hello All -
The gravel portion of xeriscape we installed seven years ago is beginning to show its age / fade. Is anyone out there aware of an environmentally friendly dye/paint I can manually apply with a paint or garden sprayer to help rejuvenate the color? If not, other solutions which don't involve replacement?
These pictures are from about a month after the work was completed. The color is still present, just not quite as vivid. Meanwhile, the xeriscape plants, especially the trees, are THRIVING - and my water bill was cut by 75%.
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
We are doing the opposite of what we should be doing. We have all seen the stories of the people that have planted billions of trees and plants which has changed deserts into rainforests (or close to rainforests, depending on geographical location).
In California we are doing the opposite. Tearing our plant life and replacing it with artificial turf, rocks, mulch, etc. which is a self fulfilling prophecy. If we make our environment into a desert it will become a desert.
For those that are going to say California is a desert already and it is just returning to its natural state, I disagree as Californiaβs environment is extremely diverse and is mostly temperate- including rainforests.
Yes, we are also in a drought and have been for many years (with some years of respite). But our transition to desertscape or xeriscape will only cause the drought to become worse, more frequent, and possibly permanent. Irrigation is our only option now to try and reverse the damage already done.
Where is the water going to come from? We need more water storage during wet times. Meaning more reservoirs and damsβ¦ not popular but we canβt keep drilling wells and draining our aquifers.
TLDR: Plant a shit ton of real trees, grasses, and other foliage, and water the hell out of it to keep California from turning into a desert. As well as building more water storage to support irrigation needs.
I got a full xeriscape redo of my front and back this spring pulling out my lawn(s). Everything looked amazing for the first month. I was watering almost everyday at first to get all the young plants established and started to transition them a bit to less water to help the roots grow deeper; maybe every 3-4 days. I read on a number of "official" websites like City of Phoenix and Water Use it Wisely on how to grow more healthy plants by watering deeply but less frequently. So I started to do that based on all the calculations they call for and so many plants died this summer even with all the rain. I have a horrible record with all kinds of plants so this didn't surprise me too much but that it happened so prolifically even following all the "pro" advice is frustrating.
Should I just water everyday, even succulents and natives, for the first year or two? I really want to have drought tolerant plants but they seem to be pretty damn thirsty. Appreciate any advice for newbies to xeriscaping.
Hi everyone.
I just went through the sub and didn't see this posted or commented on so I thought I'd make a post about it.
I'm REAL tired of maintaining my grass. I have a very small yard and the only reason I keep the grass is because of my dogs. Does anyone know how dogs do with a Xeriscape backyard? Is it feasible? Would it be hard to maintain with dogs running over multch/gravel and kicking it around? If there is any advice you can lend me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Maybe I'm over thinking the whole thing. I just want to make sure my pups are comfortable with the space that's mostly theirs already.
Hi all,
I'm a first time homeowner in Denver and have about a small 750-1,000 square foot east facing front lawn. This year I just maintained the existing grass but am interested in replacing at least some of it with one of the above.
I'm a bit overwhelmed and have not taken on any work like this before, but would like to be able to get prepared so I can do any work in the fall that may be required then.
Can anyone point me into any good resources? Also open to working with any services or businesses who specialize in this.
Thanks!
any idea which county's are giving incentives for xeriscaping your lawn?
Specifically Liberty Wells neighborhood if that matters.
Thanks!
Can anyone recommend a xeriscape landscaper to do a small front bed (maybe around 12βx12β)? I know this kind of landscaping is trendy and therefore insanely expensive. I really just need some dead bushes and ugly mulch removed, drip line installed from the sprinkler, new liner, rocks, and a few native plants added.
I'm converting to drip irrigation in our first-year xeriscape garden (Colorado 5b/6a), but we will have probably 50 plants and it seems crazy to run a drip emitter or two to each one. Just the supply tubes are unsightly enough, I can't imagine having dozens of little 1/4" tubes running all over the place too. I'm thinking maybe just going out 3 times a week or so hand-watering for this season, then maybe next year can back off on watering.
Just wondering what has worked for you guys
I'm tired of maintaining my lawn for several reasons and would like to xeriscape. I'm wondering if anyone here has done it and have any feedback to give.
a few questions:
- Where can I get cheap materials? I heard HD or Lowes is not the place to go if I can get a direct shipmen from the supplier.
- Pea gravels. Should I avoid them? I am planning on creating at least a 4 in of wall to keep this retained.
- I tried to contract this out, but it's going to cost me $15k+ to do this, which would not make sense financially. Anyone have better experience or tips on how to hire someone to do landscaping work?
- Any other feedback is welcome
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
Feel free to ask questions about xeriscaping and native plant gardening here that you feel might not warrant a whole post.
Don't forget to include the region you are xeriscaping in.
Be nice and happy gardening!
