Monday, May 26, 2014

A New Project ~

With a very serious drought in California and the rising scarcity and cost of water I have been trying to think of ways to cut down on irrigation. Most of my garden is already on various drip systems but with a lawn that is extremely difficult to do and Rainbird sprinkers use lots and lots of water. So...I decided to take out the front lawn.

Here is one view of the old lawn


And here it is after...bare dirt and not very pretty!

The rocks are laying out the basic pattern for the  paths and the roundel, the shovel is standing in for a fountain.


I had two challenges in the new design: low water usage and low maintenance, lawns might use a lot of water, but they look lovely and are generally easy to maintain.


I have decided to go with a combination of gravel and mulch for the hardscape, the planting materials will consist of boxwood hedges, a Western Redbud tree, five pink  roses, and  various drougnt tolerent plants in a few places to soften the effect. One of the greatest things about drip systems is that you can water one plant and not the whole surrounding area.



Here is Juan installing the new water lines for the drip system and running the electricity for the fountain.


This all looks pretty awful right now but I have high hopes that it will all turn out nicely and even look better than before.

Thank you for visiting, I hope you are having a happy and constructive day! 


7 comments:

  1. Very prudent and wise to be proactive and remove your lawn...we have only a small carpet size section out in front of our humble bungalow now...but our thirsty roses will stay. I love them so much....even if I have to hand water them from the bath water I will pledge to keep them blooming.
    Happy gardening!

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  2. Hello Adrienne,

    This all sounds to be most exciting. In our gardening days we were always trying to convince people to remove lawns which were small as they require so much maintenance and there are equally attractive alternatives.

    Your plans sound very practical as well as pretty. Water is a scarce and expensive commodity so it is important to preserve it for necessities rather than luxuries. We shall look forward to the final outcome which we are sure will be delightful.

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  3. I can't wait to see more. That's a big project and I'm sure it will be amazing. After such a long winter for our area, it's hard to imagine the drought that you've been facing.

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  4. This is such a smart idea. I am excited to see how it turns out!

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  5. I think it will look great when you are all finished. I know it's a lot of work but the end result will be good. I am debating on my grass also - I think it will add more drought plants and a path around the garden. There isn't much grass now because I have a cottage flower bed in most of the front yard. The state has know for years that we have a problem with water and why they have not addressed this issue leaves me a little upset. Farmers having to get rid of their fruit trees and farmers not planting vegetable. This will make all of our produce and vegetable cost more - where does this end? Can you tell that I am a little upset with our government.
    Looking forward to seeing your new front yard.
    Mary

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  6. I think it's a very good idea, Adrienne. It's going to look beautiful!

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  7. With you at the helm, I know it will be beautiful Adrienne! If we have too many more dry winters here I will probably have to take out some of the lawn here as well.
    I can't wait to see your front garden when you are finished!
    hugs from here...

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