Within one to two years, transition all plants to deep, infrequent watering. Water can be a life-giver or an herbicide. All of these species need either heavy irrigation, richer soils, or humidity to be happy, and simply don’t perform well in the Southwest. Don’t use water-hogging plants like queen palm, cottonwood, willow, sycamore, aspen, ash, Bradford pear, or purple-leaf plums.A young 5-gallon tree will need less water to establish than a 48″ boxed specimen, and it will grow to the same size within five years. Don’t start with mature specimen trees, unless local codes require this.As Cristiani points out, “Who wants to live in the bottom of a terrarium?” While rocks are certainly low-maintenance, they become so hot and bright in the sun that the landscaping can become unpleasant to live with, or look at. Since trees need more water to establish than do groundcovers and perennials, but are usually on similar hydrozones, this is an easy way of ensuring that any excess water naturally flows where it’s needed most. Do create low areas in the landscape to plant trees.Plants with larger leaves like roses, Indian hawthorn, or photinia are adapted to soil with more organic matter, so mulch them with a shredded cedar or cypress mulch. Desert natives with a finer leaf texture show up beautifully against gravel and grow well when mulched with it. Do tailor your mulch selection to your plants.When plants are grouped by their water needs, it’s easy to use different irrigation zones to water each type of plant appropriately. You can’t marry a North Carolina tree and an Arizona shrub. Do group plants according to their water needs.Native plants like penstemon, agave, and mesquite add regional flair, while Mediterranean plants like rosemary, germander, and thyme also thrive under the hot sun. Do select native or well-adapted species that reflect the beauty of the region and will perform well with little water.Let us help you achieve your dream desert style landscape. Texas weather and climates are varied through out the state and differs from city to city.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |