Featured image
Alt-tag: Succulent garden – drought-tolerant landscaping
With its near-perfect weather, California is one of America's favorite places to live. However, the constant sun and lack of rain can be pretty harsh when it comes to landscaping. It's challenging to keep all the greenery alive in these conditions. Nevertheless, you shouldn't give up on having a beautiful landscape. Many gorgeous plants survive in dry environments, and xeriscaping techniques may help you make the most of your restricted water supply. Therefore, in today's article, you'll find some awesome drought-tolerant landscaping ideas you can use to make your garden shine. Your garden might not be the place where you spend most of your time, yet you should dedicate it sometime when redecorating your home. It’s a major part of it, after all. Let's see what tips and tricks we prepared for you!
Enrich the soil
The first one on our list of the best ideas for drought-tolerant landscaping is to amend the soil before building this type of garden. Straw and horse feces, peat moss, compost, or a mix of these materials are great choices here. If you have the time, you may even dig fallen leaves into the soil and allow them to decompose naturally. Amended soil retains moisture better, and it also captures rainwater, which tends to run off on hard-packed soil. In addition, keep the soil protected with mulch or a drought-tolerant groundcover like sedum. Covered soil also retains moisture much longer than bare soil. We suggest you educate yourself about prepping the soil for your drought-tolerant garden before you start digging and planting.
Pick the right mulch
Not all mulches are made equal. Organic mulches (formed from once-living materials) are abundant and affordable in many places. They gradually degrade and replenish the soil over time. However, they retain too much moisture for some plants and may damage the stems of dry-soil dwellers like cacti, succulents, and other similar plants. That's why it's preferable to use stones or pebbles for plants in a drought-tolerant setting.
Draught-tolerant landscaping loves grey
Are you looking for drought-tolerant plants for your landscaping that will make your home stand out? Hint: They're frequently hidden behind a layer of gray. Or perhaps silver. The perfect example of this is a flowering santolina. The same may be said for lavender, dusty miller, and lamb's ears. They're all gray and look like camels when it comes to water. If this piques your interest, we suggest you educate yourself on xeriscape landscaping. It's a landscaping technique that comes down to only one thing - growing plants with less water. So, precisely what you need in California, right?
Thorns are your friends
We can't talk about drought-tolerant landscaping ideas and not mention plants with thorns! As a general rule, if the plant has thorns, it will likely function well in your drought-tolerant landscape. Take, for example, any cactus you come across. Cacti are well-known for their persistence in the face of extremely harsh, arid environments. Furthermore, they come in many shapes and can even grow beautiful flowers. These fantastic plants can make your garden beautiful and unique if you take proper care of them. Therefore, inform yourself about these amazing plants and level up your landscaping game!
Say hello to succulents
Other drought-tolerant plants that your Californian garden will love are succulents. These stunning plants come with smooth, thick, meaty leaves that store water for use during droughts. This Sedum acre is an excellent example of a succulent you can use in your landscaping. Just like cacti, they come in many shapes and sizes. Therefore, they are perfect for creating a unique landscape. As a plus, they provide great aesthetic appeal.
Use ornamental grass
When it comes to drought-tolerant landscaping ideas, you can't overlook decorative grasses. There are ornamental grasses that are tall and short, straight and waggling. Most of them look excellent in groups. Some are large and architecturally significant enough to act as a focal point in your front yard. We suggest combining them with rocks to create an excellent natural impression. This is a great way to bring out both the natural and decorative elements in your garden.
Add a pop of color
While drought-tolerant landscaping might be vibrant and full of color, it may not be as densely planted as you're used to seeing. That's a positive thing since it will use less water. Therefore, consider adding some landscape art to fill the area (and increase your color level). It's a great way to add color and personality to your front yard. You can get as creative as you want and even make a few DIY decorative elements. Everything from colorful rocks and pebbles to miniature garden sculptures can transform the whole area. Therefore, this is a perfect time to get creative and let your imagination go wild.
Collect rainwater
There's no better wake-up call for saving water than the drought itself. Likewise, there's no better way to save water than collecting rainwater. Therefore, we suggest connecting a barrel to your gutter spout to fill it quickly when it rains. You can use this water for your plants. It's an easy and cheap way to keep your plants and, thus, your garden hydrated. However, some municipalities prohibit the usage of water barrels, so check with yours before installing one in your garden.
Water your front yard wisely
Even though most people use overhead sprinklers for watering their gardens, they are not the most effective things to use. Instead, we suggest that you go with either a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose. Both of these watering methods direct water to the roots of your plants, which is great if you live in a dry area such as California. In addition, these hoses reduce evaporation, especially if they are mulch-covered.
Want to sell your home? Landscaping is crucial!
Believe it or not, landscaping is an essential element of selling a house. Nothing matters like the first impression, and landscaping is just that. So, if you want to attract many prospective buyers, we suggest that you follow these drought-tolerant landscaping ideas and boost your curb appeal.
Once you sell your home, make it your task to find a great and trustworthy team of residential movers. You can trust your California-based team to handle everything from packing to transporting to unloading. Reliable residential movers are a guarantee that your belongings will come to your new home safe and in one piece!
Conclusion
While having a beautiful front yard is challenging in dry areas like California, it's not impossible. Yes, many plants can't survive without water, but it's not all about colorful plants and lush green lawns. There are so many drought-tolerant landscaping ideas you can use and make your garden look beautiful and unique. We gave you some of our favorite tips and tricks that are tested and proven to work. Therefore, now is your time to create your dream garden!
Photo used:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/echeveria-succulents-and-panda-plant-closeup-photography-813356/ Meta Description: While many people love California's sunny weather, it's not so great for your garden. Here are some drought-tolerant landscaping ideas
