Archive for Landscape Design
Determining the Right Time to Mulch
DLaying mulch not only improves the appearance of your landscape but it also has several other benefits. It minimizes weed growth and helps moisture retention, hence making your plants stay strong and healthy. It also acts as a good insulator thus regulating temperatures depending on the season. You can also curb soil erosion and plant damage during mowing through mulching. As mulching material decay, it adds nutrients to the soil.
Right mulching time
Knowing the right time to mulch will help you enjoy all the benefits that comes with the exercise. Many people have the tendency of mulching as soon as the spring sets since it’s one way to improve the appearance of the landscape. However, mulching as soon as the warm season starts is not advisable. You need to give the soil some time to acquire warmth, hence making mid-to late spring the right mulching time. If you had laid winter mulch, pull it off gradually to help the plants adapt to the warmth. Pulling it all at one can subject the plants to late-season cold.
How much mulch should you lay?
It is advisable you start by laying a thin layer of mulching material so as to give your seedlings the space to grow. As the plants get established, you can increase mulching material accordingly. You should put more mulch during summer to help retain soil moisture and provide insulation from cold during winter.
Determining the right amount of mulching material can be tricky. This is because you don’t want to lay too little material that you leave the plants exposed or too much that it kills the plants. You can determine the right amount depending on the type of mulching material you want to use. If you are using a fine material, then 1 to 2 inch layer should be fine, when 3 to 4 inch should be fine when laying coarse material. If your intentions are to prevent anything from growing in an area, then you can lay as much material as you want.
Laying too much mulching material results in the plant roots growing with the material hence a shallow rooting system. This makes your plants susceptible to damage by drought and cold weather. You can avoid this by putting a moderate layer depending on the type of your crops. When mulching an area with trees, you need to leave a space between the tree trunks and stem so as to prevent them from rotting. Leaving space also ensures that pests such as slugs and mice don’t get a habitat or destroy your plants.
When putting mulch, you need to put in consideration the style of the area. For instance, if it is the pathway, a windy area, or a slope hence susceptible to erosion, you should put heavy mulching materials. The size of the mulching material should also help you determine the depth of the layer. If you are using big chunks, then the layer should be deep, but if you are using small material, then the layer should be shallow. Contact us for more information.
Improve the Appeal with these Simple Lawn Treatment Tips
Every homeowner dreams of a perfect lawn. Unfortunately, only a few yards in residential areas are green, lush and healthy. This can be attributed to the lack of adequate care. In simple terms, if you do not put some time and effort into protecting, preserving and enriching your lawn, you will not get beautiful and thriving turf. Under ideal circumstances, you should engage a professional for yard maintenance. If you are set on DIY upkeep, use these simple lawn treatment tips for better results.
Check Your Mower Settings
If your grass is growing healthily but the effect after mowing is not stunning, it is advisable to consider the lawn mower settings. Setting the blades to cut the grass to short can be highly detrimental to the beauty of the yard. You should note that different species of grass have optimal cutting heights. Consult your landscaping expert on the best length for your grass. Otherwise, you will have to deal with bald patches, poor root systems and even drying plants. When mowing, ensure that the mower blades are sharp, and alternate the cutting patterns for long-term lawn appeal.
Water at the Right Time
Watering your grass is an essential practice for a healthy lawn. Unfortunately, irrigating the plants at the wrong time can cause unexpected harm. For instance, if you water the grass in the evening, the moisture will remain on the blades for a prolonged period. This can promote the growth of harmful fungi on your property. On the other hand, watering when the sun is blazing prevents optimal absorption due to evaporation. Therefore, you should irrigate during early mornings for maximum absorption without the moisture overload.
Rake the Fallen Leaves
Raking the lawn is not fun for most people. However, if you want to keep your yard and grass in the best condition, this practice is necessary. When dead leaves are left on the lawn for too long, they will suffocate the grass and prevent the penetration of sunlight. Consequently, the grass will no longer have the lush green look. In addition, leaves promote moisture retention, and this will increase the risk of fungi attack. So, plan for the timely removal of dead leaves to protect your lawn.
Deal with Bald Spots
Bald spots can develop on the lawn due to unexpected problems. For instance, if you have not upheld the best mowing practices, some areas of the yard will look a little bare. Also, poor soil aeration and smothering of grass by objects can cause bald patches. It is important to deal with these spots to restore the beauty of the lawn. The most convenient method for dealing with bald patches is filling in with a repair mixture. Typically, the repair material consists of suitable grass seeds, special fertilizer and in most cases, some organic mulch.
Finally, you should preserve the beauty of your lawn by controlling weeds. These unwanted plants will take away the nutrients intended for your plants. As a result, the grass will not grow healthier over time. Also, weeds are unappealing and will compromise the harmony of the turf. Therefore, you should plan for immediate weed removal if you notice any signs of invasion. Contact us for more information.
Landscape Maintenance: Simple Guidelines for Reducing Your Long-Term Costs
Beautiful and pristine landscapes enhance the general appeal of homes. In addition, landscape maintenance can increase the resale value of the property. Unfortunately, the cost of keeping your lawn, garden and other landscaping features in excellent condition can be high. As a result, it is not uncommon for homeowners to neglect this aspect of their real property. If you are struggling with keeping up with these expenses, you might be looking for a way to minimize costs without sacrificing your beautiful landscape. Here are simple maintenance tips to help you improve your landscape at lower costs.
Choose Low-Maintenance Plants
Your choice of plants will determine the level of maintenance required to keep your property in the best condition. In simple terms, some types of grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees need more intensive care to grow and thrive. If you have these high level upkeep plants, you will need to spend more water, fertilizer and labor on your landscape. Therefore, if you are planning on adding some fresh flowers or other plants to your landscape, opt for hardy plants. For instance, drought-resistant and indigenous plants will grow naturally without special care or high costs.
Remove Invasive Weeds
It is important to keep an eye on the weeds growing on your landscape. In general, invasive weeds are quite harmful to your decorative flora and the lawn. The unwanted plants tend to compete for nutrients and often cause the malnourishment of your valuable landscaping plants. Therefore, you should check your lawn periodically for weeds and remove them. This task is relatively easy and does not require special equipment. You can manually uproot the invasive species or use hoes or weeders. If your lawn is heavily affected, herbicides are also an option.
Consider the Composting Option
Landscaping plants need additional nutrients to thrive because the natural soil has limited nutrients. In general, homeowners purchase fertilizer and other enriching solutions from local stores and landscaping companies. Commercial products are convenient because they are readymade, easy to apply and well-balanced. However, this is not your only option. It is possible to create your own nutritional material by composting your green waste. This solution is viable if you have plenty of green waste and time to handle the composting process. The compost will enrich and improve the composition of the soil, and you will save on landscape maintenance costs.
Establish a Suitable Watering Routine
Residential lawns and gardens require regular watering for ideal growth. Unfortunately, numerous people spend more money than necessary on irrigation. This issue can be attributed to irresponsible watering practices. It is important to have a good plan to minimize water wastage. Where possible, it is advisable to place programmable sprinklers on your property. These devices will release water at predetermined intervals. Also, you should plan for watering in the mornings so that the water will not be wasted through evaporation.
Professional Landscape Maintenance
Landscape maintenance can be a time-consuming process. In addition, if you are not familiar with the work, you might not get the best results. Therefore, if you have insufficient time or have never dealt with the upkeep tasks in the past, consider professional landscape maintenance. The investment is worthwhile because you will avoid damaging your land. Also, it is cheaper to have an expert handle the work than causing damage and planning for restoration.
If you would like to learn more about professional landscape maintenance and possible money-saving tips, consult our experienced landscaping experts for information.
Backyard Ideas: 5 Easy Tips for Creating a Beautiful Drought-Resistant Back Yard
Earlier this year California made permanent the water restrictions that had been in place throughout the drought. While many people re-landscaped their front yards during the dry years, many more let their back yard lawns wither away, or removed them completely. But efficient, non-wasteful irrigation doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a beautiful back yard retreat.
Xeriscaping, or water-wise, climate appropriate gardening, can allow you to have all the color, blooms, and lushness you desire while significantly reducing water use and maintenance. Try one or more of these 5 backyard ideas that are ideal for the dry summers and wet winter Mediterranean climate of Sonoma County.
Low-maintenance backyard ideas
Landscaping your back yard with waterwise techniques is not only environmentally friendly, it can be downright gorgeous. Here’s how.
Native plants
Always a good choice for xeriscape principles, climate-appropriate plantings are those that are suited to your local water availability. Here in Sonoma, good native choices include
- Perennials like lavender, rosemary, Santa Barbara daisy, Mexican sage, verbena, catmint, and dusty miller.
- Annuals and bulbs that are well-adapted to drought-tolerant gardens. Think daffodils, irises, California poppies, larkspur, and alyssum.
- Vines that include climbers like wisteria, honeysuckle, grape, and potato vine.
- Drought-tolerant grasses such as fountain, blue oat, blue fescue, sedge, and deer grass.
- Aloe, agave, echeverias, and sedums are good succulent choices that cover a wide spectrum of the green palette.
Groundcovers
Groundcovers are a great replacement for lawns, help to prevent soil erosion, and add a lovely splash of color. Is your Sonoma back yard mostly sunny? Rockrose is a hardy choice that requires almost no care. More shade than sun? Try creeping barberry. It’s bright yellow flowers in mid spring and blue berries in early summer make this a real show-stopper.
Don’t forget the mulch. It helps to moderate soil temperature, curtail evaporative water loss, and keep the weeds out of sight. The most common mulches are chipped or shredded bark, but gravel and stone can also be used.
Hardscape
There’s nothing more low-maintenance than hardscape. Paved areas, retaining walls, and stone and brick pathways create a clean minimalist look that can be enhanced and added to depending on what style back yard you prefer. Try a walkway of pea gravel with stepping stones that leads from the deck to the garden. A stone patio or composite deck are ideal for backyard barbecues.
Decorative stone
Use a mix of different gravels throughout the backyard landscape for more visual appeal. Decorative stone like river rock comes in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. Together with decomposed granite, it’s a great choice for surrounding a water feature or filling a raised or flat bed.
Create multiple outdoor living spaces
A nice balance of plantings and outdoor living areas lets you extend your home’s footprint while having less grassy areas to maintain. Even less expansive back yards can have several smaller areas that offer lots of options for entertaining. One area can feature the grill, another the bar setup, and another can hold seating and dining options.
Just keep in mind that regular maintenance isn’t eliminated by xeriscaping. Fertilizing, pruning, and occasional weeding are all still required. Irrigation systems should be tested and adjusted according to the season. And pest management is a core practice of xeriscape ideology.
Learn More
If you’d rather spend less time taking care of your back yard and more time relaxing in it, or just want some more terrific backyard ideas for your own home, contact us today. We’d love to show you all the ways a water-smart backyard can be a beautiful one, too.
Irrigation 101: The Importance of a Good Sprinkler System Design
A good sprinkler system is one that satisfies your home’s landscape watering requirements, letting it flourish beautifully while saving large amounts of water and money. The benefits of investing in professional sprinkler system design are numerous:
- You no longer need to worry about watering at the proper times.
- Plants, tree, and ground covers get the right amount of water.
- Over and underwatering is virtually eliminated.
- A healthier landscape improves your home’s value.
Every sprinkler system we design is done with the xeriscape principles of promoting water conservation and reducing the need for regular maintenance in mind.
Plot and plan the perfect sprinkler system design
There’s a lot that goes into designing a good sprinkler system. Flow, working pressure, pipe sizing, water velocity, and friction loss must all be taken into consideration. There’s also valves, timers, and irrigation heads to think about. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why having a pro handle it is a great idea!
Here’s a brief rundown on how a typical sprinkler system design plan comes together.
Measure and design
The first step in any sprinkler system design is measuring the property then plotting where fixed elements like your home, the driveway, paths, fences, patios, and decks are located. Next, current and future lawns, shrubs, ground covers, trees, and other plantings are added to the drawing. The landscape is then divided into areas such as front yard, back yard, side yard, shrub areas, lawn areas, and so on.
System design capacity
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. To design an automatic sprinkler system, you need to know how much water is available to irrigate your landscape. Most systems are designed to use water supplied by the city or township, but some people draw their water from wells or lakes. Determining capacity involves measuring water pressure (PSI) and water volume (GPM) then using those figures to make sure the most efficient watering system is put in place.
Product selection
Sprinkler heads and valves are two of the most important components. There two broad types of sprinkler heads:
- Rotating stream spray sprinklers that operate by rotating streams of water back and forth or in circles over the landscape.
- Small area fixed spray sprinklers that spray a fan-shaped pattern of water over a fixed radius.
Many homeowners also include a drip system in their sprinkler systems and most designs include a combination of all three types. Which ones are placed in which locations depends on water pressure, space, and area shapes like curved pathways or raised beds.
We’re sometimes asked if one system is less expensive than the other. In our experience, it tends to work out the same. Rotor heads require less pipe and trenches, but the rotors themselves cost more. Spray heads may be less expensive, but they need more pipe, trenches, and valves.
Whichever design you select, the sprinklers are then divided and placed into zones that are irrigated at different times of the day, taking into consideration things like sun exposure, plant types, and watering needs.
Create the perfect xeriscape sprinkler system
A well-designed sprinkler system design is sure to improve the health, appearance, and value of your landscape. If you’d like to learn more about our sprinkler system design services, contact us online or give us a call at 707.280.3632. Our professional team sprinkler design team is ready to give you the cost-effective, efficient, and long-term landscaping irrigation solution you’ve always wanted.
Backyard Ideas: Follow these Steps for Excellent Xeriscaping
Landscaping is great for the air quality around your home, and the curb appeal. However, many people complain that sometimes, it comes at an extremely high cost. One of the costs which are part of landscaping is water expenditure. Xeriscaping is an alternative to landscaping where the least possible amount of water is used. The beautiful thing about the process is that the quality of the resulting landscape will not be compromised, but a lot of water will be saved. Here, are some of the best backyard ideas on Xeriscaping which you need to try out.
Take note of problem areas
The start of any watering process should be to have a look at all the parts of the yard, and notice the ones which are easy to water, and also those which are extremely difficult to maintain. Steep slopes are usually the most prone to drought. After mapping out these areas, decide whether you want to keep their vegetation cover or not. If you decide that you want the vegetation cover, convert into perennial crops which do not need a lot of watering to stay alive and healthy, especially in the hot season. You might also want to consider drip irrigation to maintain these parts of the lawn.
Manage the size of the backyard garden
Another reason a lot of water gets wasted in irrigation is when the garden has an irregular shape. To combat this, you have to reshape the garden to create shapes which are easy to irrigate. You also need to replace the plants with xeric alternatives such as blue grass and buffalo grass, both of which take wear and tear very well. Buffalo grass can survive on less water; however, it has a low tolerance to interferences such as foot traffic, which makes it best suited for parts of the lawn that will not have a lot of traffic. Section off parts of the garden that are used less often, and turn them into shrub borders and flower gardens, that need less water to thrive.
You can also section off parts of the garden and make them into paths. You can line these paths with stepping stones of flagstones, which is good because it reduces the total surface area which has to be covered with lawn grass. Another tip which will be successful is transforming the rocky parts of the garden into a rock garden. You can use a variety of colorful rocks for the garden and use appropriate rock garden designs. There is a variety of crops which you can add to the rock garden.
Picking the right plants
The best plants for backyard ideas in xeriscaping are native and drought tolerant plants. Remember that xeriscape gardens are created in such a way that they fit Mediterranean and Southwest styles in gardening. You can consult with a landscaping expert to figure out the plants which will be most appropriate for your climate and locality.
When Xeriscaping is planned for and done properly, it produces some of the best gardens. It capitalizes on preserving native plants while at the same time reducing the amount of water used in gardening, and giving the regular landscape of your backyard a special touch. When you involve a competent landscaping expert in the process, the outcome will be amazing.
Four Creative Flower Bed Ideas to Get You Going
Creating sensuous textures and adding color to your garden with a flower bed is one of the quickest ways to improve your yard. And when it comes to flower bed ideas, there’s virtually no limit.
Raised flower beds are getting a lot of attention lately because they’re easier to water and maintain, but that’s far from the only option.
Other options are flower beds that encase trees and create a truly picturesque effect, flower beds that line a walkway to a backyard oasis, and tall flower beds filled with azaleas and wisterias.
Flower Beds Encasing Trees
The thing to do when planting flower beds around trees is make sure that you’re selecting the right flowers for your particular region and getting the amount of sunlight versus shading right.
Plants and flowers that are “full sun” are the easiest to work with since they can receive six hours or more of sunshine per day and still be fine.
Yarrow, tickseed, and blanket flowers are all full sun plants that go great around trees. Lavender (purple) and sasha sage (white) pair well together and are both full sun plants. These might well give you the effect you’re looking for.
Circular Flower Beds
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, then you might want to consider a few of the flower bed ideas below (including this one!).
Circular flower beds are good if you have a huge tree that you want to draw attention to or a bare spot in your yard that needs a bit more color.
Taking an eclectic approach that gives you a wide palette of color is usually the way to go when it comes to creating a successful circular flower bed.
Bulbs, annuals, and perennials with a nice border flower like garanium can really frame things nicely. Putting something like a bird bath in the center is also an option.
Like these flower bed ideas but feeling overwhelmed with actually pulling them off? Get in touch with a landscaping company that can help you design, build, and maintain your flower bed for years to come.
Flower Beds Along a Walkway
As far as flower bed ideas go, this one’s right up there in popularity with raised flower beds and flower beds around trees.
Flower beds lining your walkway can significantly increase your curb appeal as a homeowner and work well with condos and receptions as well.
In terms of design, planting decorative flowers as a border along your walkway is said to soften the sameness and artificiality of concrete.
A line of flowers adds an unexpected splash of color in an unlikely, though not unwelcome, place.
Landscaping and design experts say to go with flowers that are hardy yet vibrant like mahogany bugleweed (purple) or red ruby.
A landscaping company can plan, edge, and till around your walkway to get things started on the right foot. Composting, mounding the soil, and actually planting the flowers comes next.
Here too landscapers can provide regular maintenance and put your flower bed and lawn on the irrigation and aeration schedule that both need to flourish and bring your outdoor landscape into full color.
Slanted Flower Beds
Slanted flower beds are one of those creative flower bed ideas that’s certainly not right for everyone but could be perfect for many people.
If your front yard is pitched, for instance, a landscaping team can help you raise your dirt bed to level and create a retaining wall that maximizes your flowers’ blooms while minimizing soil compaction.
Grasses and succulents are smart choices for sloped gardens. Contact a professional landscaper to make it happen!
Finally…Here are the Elements of Amazing Garden Design!
Garden design is about getting the most out of your outdoor space and creating an inviting backdrop for family, friends, and neighbors.
You obviously want to get to the point of enjoying your outdoor landscape as soon as possible, but a lot of work goes in to getting things just right.
Garden design revolves around having the right location, soil conditions, boundaries, and surfaces to work around. That said, the elements of garden design can’t be overstated.
The Elements and Location of Your Garden
There are two basic elements of great garden design – something known as hard elements (i.e., relatively immovable design details like paths, walls, lounge chairs, and decks) and the actual plants and flowers that adorn your garden.
Hard landscape elements can include beautiful additions to your outdoor landscape like a koi pond stocked with fish or a stone path that gradually opens up to a breathtaking garden rich with flowers and color.
These two basic elements of garden design – the hard elements and the actual plants you use – dynamically work together to bring out the best in your garden.
Creating a Powerful Effect
The kind of paving that you use leading up to your garden can have a dramatic effect on the overall impact of your garden. Grey stone with purple lilac, for instance, can create a captivating French country look that really inspires.
On the other hand, working with a professional landscaping company to curate a manicured lawn and lush garden around black paving can create a modern look that’s both classy and inviting.
A professional landscaper can cut through all of the guesswork and help you determine what the best garden design for your home would be.
The best garden design for you is determined by your design preferences, of course, but also strongly suggested by your climate zone and any microclimates in your area.
Your particular climate can affect whether you’re able to plant annuals or whether hardier perennials would be a better choice. Your climate also impacts things like seeding, blooming, aeration, irrigation, and the soil foundation that fundamentally make a great garden.
The Soil, Boundaries, and Surfaces of Garden Design
A lot of homeowners want to fast forward ahead to enjoying a garden lush with roses, lilacs, tulips, and dahlias…and those are all beautiful. The foundation for all of those, though, is your garden’s soil.
There’s a process that a professional landscaping company can help you with known as amendment, which is where nutrients are added to your subsoil and topsoil to ensure that it provides a foundation for healthy plant and flower growth.
A landscaping company can use the right soil structure – whether that’s loam, silt, or some amount of clay – for your garden’s flowers, acidity levels, and your particular climate.
Boundaries and Surfaces for Framing
Having the right boundaries (e.g., a line of hedges and nice, white fence) and surfaces directly bordering your garden (e.g., woodchips, straw, or pebbles) can open up the possibilities with your garden design.
Using structural plants to frame the sides of your garden is a staple of good garden design as well. Boxwood and bay laurel can be planted year round and are relatively easy to maintain.
Evergreen shrubs are another popular border. The most popular border for most gardens is your lawn.
Having your lawn maintained or shaped and maintained around your new garden (lawns can be square, circle, or oblong-shaped) gets everything off on the right foot.
Professional landscapers can walk you through your options when it comes to garden design and picking the best aesthetic and practical features for your new garden. Contact us for more information.
Top 5 Sizzling Summer Landscape Design Ideas For 2018
“ I Go To Nature To Be Soothed, And Healed And To Have My Senses Put In Order.”
-John Burroughs
Ready to try something new this summer in your garden? Well, if you’re looking for hot, exciting, ideas you can use to spice up your landscape and make it stand out then you’ve definitely tuned into the right station. Whether you want to transform your outdoor space into a head-turning, masterpiece of nature or you simply want to spend your time outdoors among beautiful trees and flowers, we’ve got the ideas that can help you achieve it. Without further delay, let’s get straight down to business and have a look at 5 Top Summer Landscape Design Trends that have been taking the outdoors by storm.
- Revamping Lawn Areas
Have you ever noticed how a well-trimmed and maintained lawn has become a popular attribute that represents everything about the quiet suburban life?
Despite this, droughts, water shortages and rising environmental challenges in recent years have seemed to take their toll on many landscape designs including lawn areas. Nevertheless, instead of going with a traditional type lawn this summer people could consider planting grass mixes that don’t require mowing.
- Go Bold This Summer With A Colored Fence
This is probably one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to enhance your landscape design and it not only sets the tone but really adds a certain highlight to the outdoor space.
A little color always makes things a bit more interesting – Add a slice of drama to your garden since the landscape design trends for this summer, dictate that using dark and bold colors for outdoor structures can give your landscape that extra boost and more for the eyes to feast on.
This should be a welcomed change from the traditional ‘white picket fence’ that has somehow gotten old.
- Natural Materials Add Texture Where Needed
In previous years when a more contemporary, landscape design concept reigned unopposed, it was one thing, but in more recent times, landscape designers have been getting more requests for the addition of natural elements and non-geometric styles, in order to exude a more natural and original landscape design.
Decks, swing seats, garden furniture, bird baths and small fountains all seem to be returning to the top of the list of trending ideas for summer landscape designs.
- Sustainable Watering Ideas To Match Environmental Conditions
With recent drought conditions showing no sign of letting up, keeping landscape designs in good shape has been proving to be a bit challenging for landscapers.
Since this is the case, this summer, why not jump onto the trend of low-water landscaping? Xeriscaping as it is more commonly referred to in landscaping circles is a landscape design that includes many drought-tolerant plant species that require little or no maintenance.
Not only does this form of landscape design help landscapers to promote water conservation in harsh times but they don’t have to spend so much time maintaining landscapes.
- Dog-Friendly Landscape Designs Are Great For Accommodating Your Pet
Most people who are dog owners are aware that dogs like to dig, so when planning your summer landscape design why not apply a few dog-friendly tips that you can not only have a beautiful landscape but a happy dog as well.
By making special areas throughout your outdoor space like sandboxes, for your dog to carry out its instinctual habit of digging, is a great way to avoid damage to your precious blooms while keeping your dog happy.
With Spring is reaching its zenith, landscapers everywhere are already into summer gardening mode. So, before you start pulling, raking and sowing, why not consider these summer trends to enhance and complement your landscape design.
If you need help with your landscape design or to start one from scratch, we’re here to help. The experts here at DK Landscaping have been helping gardeners all across California achieve the landscape design of their dreams.
Call us today at (707) 280-3632 to get started right away or you can visit our website at dklandscaping.com to learn more.
Learn How To Create The Perfect Xeriscape
When people say xeriscape they are referring to the practice of designing landscapes using slow-growing, drought-tolerant plants that aim to promote water conservation and reduce the need for regular maintenance.
Although recent drought conditions have created an urgency to adjust to different landscape practices like xeriscaping, many people still opt for xeriscape designs because they look amazing when finally complete.
Having said that, it’s important to remember that designing a xeriscape is not just throwing certain plants into some dirt and expecting them to look spectacular, it’s a process.
So, to help people to get a better grasp of things, we’d like to share some fundamental aspects on the best way to create the perfect xeriscape!
Accurate Designing Will Determine the Final Look
Now, to be as straightforward as possible, it’s important that people know that having plant material in the right place, is one of the most important aspects of xeriscaping.
Whether it be that you’re giving a facelift to an old landscape or designing a new one altogether, a proper design is vital – especially if you intend to conserve resources and achieve an amazing result.
Tips That Help With Xeriscape Design
- Assess the area for the presence of vegetation as this is an indication of whether plant material will grow well in that particular area.
- Arrange your xeriscape into of three different zones; a high water-use zone, a moderate water-use zone, and a low water-use zone. The high water-use zone should be very small, highly visible and watered as needed.The moderate water-use zone is usually a bit larger than the high water-use zone and is only watered when required. Now, the low water-use zone should be at least 60% of the area and only include plant types that are initially watered.
Using these straightforward tips you will be well on your way to creating a xeriscape design that’s efficient, practical, and easily maintained.
Soil Management And Soil Quality Is Important
Managing soil may probably be the part of xeriscaping that gardeners enjoy the least as it can involve a bit of hard work on their part but despite this, working with good, quality, soil while designing your xeriscape, is extremely important.
By knowing your soil’s strengths and weaknesses, you’ll know exactly what kind of amendments may be needed for healthy growth.
Nevertheless, always make sure to slope garden beds away from any buildings and plant drought-tolerant plants at the higher part of the slope.
Choosing The Right Plants
The best way to choose plants for your xeriscape would be to opt for more native plant species that may find it easier to adapt to your local environment.
It may be also smart to choose plants that have a slower growth rate that will mature with the rest of your landscape, add texture, and complement the surrounding area.
Here are a few plant choices you can use to make your xeriscape beautiful, functional and low maintenance:
- Southern Indian Azalea,
- Climbing Fig
- Creeping Juniper
- Sweet Alyssum
- Camellia
- Creeping Gardenia
- Jasmine
- Cleyera
- Indian Hawthorne
Why not let the professionals help you get started with creating the perfect xeriscape. Here at DK Landscaping, you can get the best xeriscaping services in California – Our professional team can come in and take care of all the hard work for you and all you have to do is sit back and watch you xeriscape mature and bloom.
Give us a call at (707) 280-3632 and our professional team will drop by to start the planning and preparation process. To learn more about our xeriscaping services you can also visit our website at dklandscaping.com.
