Archive for the ‘house’ tag
Desert living: Baby landscaping
We moved into our current home late July 2006 (hottest day of the summer in Phoenix – 118F!).
From August through late September 2006, we had our pool built. (Those are the famous Superstitions you see off in the background…)
Then in early October, our landscaping went in. Most desert homeowners these days opt for a style of drought-resistant landscaping known as xeriscaping. Irrigation is usually done via drip system and the goal is to limit water usage as much as possible by using desert-hardy plants. Even with the limited irrigation, a lot of tropical species also do well here.
[In the picture below, you can see way off on the hazy horizon the San Tan mountain range. Also, the desert area behind our house (now excavated for a subdivision) where there goatbirds and other desert wildlife used to live).]
For an Ohio native like me, this means two years ago I couldn't identify a single one of the plants I currently have in my yard! Moving west has expanded my holticultural horizons tremendously. Aside from the petunias I potted (they do well, but require daily watering, of course), most of the plants in my neighborhood (and throughout the city/desert/state) are completely new to me.
Sadly, in January 2007, we had several nights in a row of freezing temperatures, and our young plants suffered. Some of them died, including two trees ($250 a pop!) that just weren't established enough to take such a hit.
I didn't photograph the damage – it was just too depressing. In all we dropped over $600 to replace the lost plants. We still have a couple of palms we've been giving a chance to come back, but I don't think they're going to make it. Most of the damaged plants that were going to come back, seem to have done so by now.
Here are some pictures of our baby landscaping. The combination of irrigation, heat and relentless summer sunshine should make these little plants grow like crazy. I'm looking forward to taking some photos in the fall and seeing how much the landscaping has matured.
All the little, bitty plants you see in the pictures above (and below) are spaced so widely because they just explode in size as they mature. The planned look of our yard ultimately is one of barely groomed, colorful (many of these varieties bloom most of the year round) natural-looking proliferation of plants filling out the landscape, much like they do in nature.
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Mom to 4 kids and 2 stepkids, I work at home in the heart of the chaos. Founder and executive editor of SheKnows.com and various other sites. Homeschooling. Knitter. Family chef. Gadget geek. Wordphreak. LAZY BLOGGER. 