Transforming Your Lawn into a Xeriscape Garden
Bill Melvin of What is Xeriscaping?
Drought tolerant landscaping Gardening for water conservation Environmentally friendly A focus on native What’s appropriate for our region
This is NOT Xeriscaping….
1) Show Photos of Lyons neighborhood
Cool Photo Why Conserve Water?
IT’S A FINITE SOURCE….
CONSERVE, RECYCLE, SUPPLY Where is our Water Used?
11 % toilet 9 % clothes washer 8 % shower 7 % leaks 6 % faucet 2 % other 1 % bath 1 % dishwasher 55 % … How Much Water ?
The U.S.- Avg. household uses 1- acre foot of water (325,851 gal’s) per year.
Colorado- Avg. household = 131,000 gal / yr. Water for Irrigation
Avg. Landscape- Approx. 70,000 gallons of water for irrigating our landscapes in suburbia.
Xeriscape – you can get your water use down to approx. 10% of this to 7,000 gallons of water use… OR LESS!
7 Principles of Xeriscaping 1) Planning and Design- the most important phase. Getting it Right the 1st time! 2) Practical Turf Areas- sized appropriately. 3) Group plants of similar water needs together. 4) Proper soil amending- essential! 5) Appropriate mulches- many to choose from 6) Efficient Irrigation- and maintenance 7) Landscape Maintenance- protect your investment Planning and Design • Bubble Diagrams are Great •Advanced Design Details- scale! •Follow Your Design- or else •Right Plant for the Right Place MOST IMPORTANT… HAVE A PLAN
CRC’s Garden in A Box
Your Design is Complete! Practical Turf Areas
Turf type tall fescue Buffalo grass Gramma grass Nature’s prairie turf YES, even Bluegrass!
Is Grass Necessary For You?
Edible and Native Landscape Small strip of Buffalo Grass- curbscape
Grouping Plants
• Similar water requirements should be planted together. • Irrigation Modifications… if you know what you are doing! • Over watering some plants can create problems!
Proper Soil Amending! •THE Most important part of the Landscape Install! •Feed the Soil and the Soil Will Feed the Plants! •Cultivation & Aeration •Compost- home, local municipality, local suppliers
Mulching
MANY BENEFITS! • Stone vs. wood/ organic •Keeps moisture in, keeps the weeds out, cools the soil, minimizes erosion,… • BUT, the most important element is…
Efficient Irrigation
•What is appropriate? •Overhead vs. Drip •Pop ups vs. Microspray
Landscape Maintenance
• Protect your Investment!
•Budget for it •Need to know your weeds
Landscaping… it is Tough Work
SWEAT EQUITY Makes it more rewarding, but no getting around… it is just hard work!
The Transformation Process
Selecting the right location Deconstruction- this may be toughest part Proper Grading & Drainage! Soil Amending Irrigation- main parts Planting & Irrigation Mulching, then… Maintenance
Working with a Budget
• Know the Reality – more than most people imagine! • Creative ways- friends, cheap materials, Craigslist! •The Right tool for the Right Job! •Get material costs and determine how labor costs can be achieved.
Selecting the Right Location
Where do you want a new garden? Where don’t you need lawn? Kids play habits, shade patterns, aesthetics What makes sense?
Turf Removal Processes
Sod Cutter Sheet Mulch Tilling Solarization
REMEMBER- Pre-Irrigate the turf
Local Rental Companies
Sunbelt Rentals
Taylor Rents
Sod Disposal Facilities
Compost it! Pioneer, Midwest Materials, Colo. Materials Local municipal facitlity
Soil Preparation
Organic matter = compost Various kinds Bulk- MidWest Materials, Colo. Materials, Pioneer Bags- Maxfields Mushroom compost Spread 1”-3” deep Cultivate into soil Irrigation Retrofit
Transforming from overhead to drip From the manifold/ valve box From a head- must be a Rainbird 1800 series Choosing your garden from a zone/ half a zone? Some work before planting, some after
Water/ Cost Savings
Weather Stations- Can further your water savings… - $450 investment installed. - Approx. 2-4 year payback -Bring water use down to 3,000- 5,000 gallons / yr. - Annual Irrigation Budget = Less than $50/ yr.
Plant Selections
• Proper Size- Shrubs, Perennials, Ground Covers •Natives- you can’t go wrong… they just like it here! •Edibles- more water, but… •Good Resources- Invaluable! •Reality of Neonicotinoids • Particular Needs? Sun, shade, either?
The Right Plant…
High Use- 20 gal’s / sf/ growing season
Moderate Use- 10 gal’s / sf / g.s.
Low Use- 1-3 gal’s / sf / g.s. Xeriscape Resources CRC’s Garden in a Box
Plants already chosen for you Proper design and layout Lovely collection of plants Plant profiles, care instruction… & Cost Effective!
Beyond Beauty…
Consider the birds, the bees, the butterflies, the Earth! Mulching
Keeps moisture in, weeds out Feeds the soil Various options- wood chips, shredded cedar, etc. Hardscaping
Does not need watering Create an outdoor living space Many material options- Flagstone, pavers, pea gravel. Permeable – infiltrate water into the Earth Hardscaping
1) Patio’s- Over 300 days of sunshine, why not? 2) Path’s- flagstone, pea gravel, crushers 3) Stone Mulches- can be practical in some uses Additional Considerations
Water catchment Dry creeks French drains Swales Rain gardens
Waterwise Landscaping… it just makes sense! GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN!!!