A well-designed landscape is incredibly beneficial to both the property and the environment. Not only does it increase the curb appeal of your property as well as its value, but it also contributes to making the environment cleaner, cooler, and safer.
However, keeping a landscape healthy and thriving can mean dipping into your pockets quite often and spending more time than you can afford just to keep it hydrated and looking beautiful and vibrant. Simply put, you need a tremendous amount of time, money and water to maintain a healthy landscape.
But is there a cheaper way to achieve a beautiful landscape?
Well, yes, there is.
Drought-tolerant landscaping is the best alternative to traditional landscaping. It is a practice that is quickly catching up among homeowners. And why not? It is cheaper, time-friendly, and much more economical because you only use plants that need very little water.
Read on to find out what drought-tolerant landscaping is and how you could benefit from it.
What Is Drought-Tolerant Landscaping?
Drought-tolerant landscaping is a type of landscaping that incorporates plants, grass, trees, and shrubs that can withstand extended periods of minimal water or no water at all into a landscape.
Drought tolerant landscaping can also include the use of synthetic turf and hardscape elements like rocks to minimize the need for water.
Besides growing plants that need little water, there isn't much difference between drought-resistant landscaping and traditional landscaping. For instance, you will still need to come up with a favorable landscape design, places like FortisHD earthmoving equipment can help you to get the right equipment for the job.
Why You Should Consider Drought-Tolerant Landscaping
The idea of drought-tolerant landscaping may seem restrictive to many, but there are actually so many benefits when going for this alternative.
Massive savings on water bills
Drought-resistant plants require very minimal water to thrive. This means you don't have to irrigate frequently, which saves you time and, most importantly, money on water bills. In fact, this is the top reason why a lot of homeowners are switching to drought-resistant landscaping. It is insanely economical and eco-friendly.
Minimal maintenance costs
Because a drought-resistant landscape does not require constant watering, fertilizing, or application of pesticides, there really aren't any significant maintenance costs. This makes it a cheaper alternative for homeowners who neither have the money nor the time to maintain a landscape.
You also won't need to keep replanting to patch up bare spaces or replace dead plants as these plants are equally resistant to pests and diseases.
You can look forward to spending just a few days a month looking after your beautiful garden and more time on other things you enjoy besides tending to your lawn and garden.
No need for mowing
Imagine a weekend where you don't have to sacrifice your morning sleep or catch an episode of your latest show just because your lawn needs some mowing!
Well, yeah, that's only possible if you choose drought-resistant landscaping. This type of landscaping doesn't require constant mowing or any lawn care at all.
You can finally take a breather from buying lawnmowers or renting tools and different equipment to maintain your lawn.
Plenty of landscape designs
While there may not be as many plants to choose from as there are in traditional landscaping, there are indeed many landscape designs that you can play around with. The trick is to combine drought-resistant plants and elements such as rocks, pebbles, and others into your landscape.
A lot of these drought-tolerant plants are uniquely beautiful. They are plants you won't see in many homes, which is a chance for you to wow everyone who comes to your property with the rare textures, sizes, and colors that these plants possess.
Yes, there are colorful drought-tolerant plants that you could include in your landscape to make your space bright. Some great examples include verbena, lantana, and agastache.
Check out Houz for some great drought-tolerant landscaping ideas.
Less to fix and maintain
Let's face it, maintaining a lush lawn needs more than just time and water. You need tools and irrigation systems that require maintenance and fixing every so often, which can be too much to handle when you have a job, home, family, and yourself to also maintain.
Common Drought-Resistant Plants and Grasses
Many people think of cactus and succulents at the mention of drought-resistant plants. They don't know that there are hundreds of drought-tolerant plants, including grasses.
Below are some of the drought-tolerant plants you could start with:
Drought-resistant plants
- Thyme
- Coreopsis
- Lamb's ear
- Lavender
- Hackberry
- Lupine
- Artemisia
- Kentucky coffeetree
- Slipper plant
- Woolly yarrow
- Aster
- Coyote brush
- Common witch hazel
- California buckeye
Drought resistant lawn grasses
- Zoysia grass
- Bahia
- Bermudagrass
- Sheep fescue
- Centipede grass
- St. Augustine grass
- Tall fescue
The trick to a thriving drought-tolerant landscape is researching the geography you are in to find out what native plants will be best suited for your environment.
Drought Tolerant Landscaping Ideas
Besides using plants that require little water, drought-tolerant landscaping relies heavily on utilizing inorganic materials such as decorative stones, pebbles, rock, and gravel to minimize the need for water. These rocks add an amazing contrast and texture to the landscape when combined with plants and other landscaping elements.
And the best part? They require little to no maintenance.
Landscaping rocks can be used in different places in your xeriscape. You can use them to create a rock garden or a garden path, use them around the retaining walls, or define your landscape areas. In addition, you can use them as a long-lasting alternative to mulch. Unlike wood mulch, rock mulch does not need to be replaced every year, saving you time and money. Plus, it does not retain any moisture which makes rock mulch ideal for minimizing the growth of fungi.
Decorative stones come in different shapes, colors, sizes, and varieties. The options are limitless, and you can play around with them as much as you want.
When choosing rocks for your drought-tolerant landscape, consider the tone you wish to set, your intent, as well as the landscape design you want. While there is no hard-and-fast rule on how to use the rocks, the proper combination of the sizes, textures, and colors is important for bringing out a natural look and feel. Also, you must know what the use of these stones is because not all stones can be used anywhere. Some are better suited for high traffic areas because of how strong they are while others are more suited for use in rock gardens or for adding accents.
Here are some of the different types of rocks you can include in your drought-tolerant landscape:
- Crushed Decorative Gravel
- Mexican beach pebbles
- Lava Rock
- Boulders
- Decomposed Granite (DG)
- Pea Gravel
- River Rock
- Rubble & Rip Rap
- Cobbles
If you’re looking for landscaping stones, then Online Stone Solutions has a wide variety for you to choose from.
Drought-tolerant landscaping is beneficial in so many ways. It is a worthy investment for any homeowner. You get to save money, water, and time and still get to enjoy a beautiful landscape that's thriving all year round. It is also a great way to communicate that you love and care for the environment just as much as you do a beautiful outdoor space.