The design of the landscaping for a new home is important when there are fewer water resources available. Therefore, you might want to consider creating a waterless landscaping design when building your home. These types of landscaping solutions are called xeriscaping. The features and design techniques that can be used in the xeriscaping for your new home include:
Choosing Hardy Native Desert-Like Plants
The plants that you choose for a xeriscaping design need to be hardy and well-adapted for the climate where they are being used. Thus, desert plants are often a good choice for these waterless landscaping designs. In addition to the common cactus species, you may want unique and flowering plants. Use shrubs like azaleas and laurel species native to your climate or you can even try hardy orchid varieties.
Alternatives to Traditional Grass Turf Materials
Grass turf will be the biggest difference in a xeriscape design. Alternatives to grass turf that you may want to use for your waterless landscaping include gravel, porous pavements, and hardscaping with natural stone materials. If you want to have a small lawn area for outdoor uses, consider an artificial turf with sand to provide an outdoor living space for your home.
Selecting the Right Soils for Xeriscaping Designs
The plants used in xeriscaping are usually types of flora that don't like moisture. Thus, they need to have good drainage to ensure they grow healthy. Rather than conventional soils, you may need to use gravels and sands in the design of your xeriscaping. Some plants may require some organic material for nutrients, which can be provided with materials like bark coverings. The bark provides nutrients and good drainage for the needs of certain plants like orchids.
Irrigation and Water Solutions to Add to Xeriscaping
While it may seem counterintuitive to add irrigation to xeriscaping, your plants may still need a minimal amount of water. Therefore, you want to consider options like automatic drip irrigation or manually watering your xeriscaping if you need to. In addition, you may want to add a water collection system to the design. This can be a system that collects rain runoff in a basin, which can then be used for irrigation or outdoor needs. This is something you can do in desert climates or areas with dry summer weather.
The waterless design with xeriscaping will make the landscaping for your home more attractive and environmentally friendly. Contact a xeriscaping service to discuss these options for a waterless landscaping design for your new home.
