For a while, the landscape of our house has been neglected. First by the previous owner and then us. Some attempts at landscaping were made, but not maintained. So when we bought this house, the front yard looked like a mess of dead, overgrown grass and weeds.
Because it was dead, overgrown grass and weeds.
All over.
Then we took a weed whacker to it and tamed the beast.
Crazy to actually see the plants tucked behind that.
But it grows back, looking a little, nay, a lot like Donald Trump’s hair; long, thin, side swept, and unmanageable. Because the hills are so steep and many large rocks punctuate the hillside, it would be impossible to maintain nice grass. Factor in minimal rainfall and it’s hard to keep anything alive without an outrageously expensive water bill. So we’re going with more rock. Doesn’t need water or maintenance, and cuts down on the dust storms.
The past few weekends we’ve cut out the weeds, laid weed mat, and schlepped rocks. Even yesterday when temps reached the mid 90’s. Yes, crazy for this time of year. Lots of water and lemonade.
Ahh, clean, blank canvas. Maybe this fall we’ll be able to plant drought resistant plants, to green things up.
If I’m lucky, some flowers for color.
Most of the front side has been rocked, but we’ve got the other side to deal with.
Which included cutting back part of the railing-less, unsafe deck to the front door to get the Bobcat across. Once the rock has been distributed, we’ll make a new walking path and steps up.
All that to say this: digging out weeds and hauling rocks is not fun, but we’re eager to get it finished and start on some fun projects. Like a deck in the backyard. Ben found a great deal on reclaimed wood, so we’ve nixed the concrete patio. Instead we’ll have a low deck. And we’re crazy excited about it.
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What a gorgeous property!! I’m not familiar with your climate, but low-maintenance ornamental grasses (not turfgrass) seem like the way to go for big sweeps of plantings, since they are drought tolerant. I’d research native alpine plants – soapwort and rock cress come to mind, though I’m not sure how those would do in your area. Would be nice to green up the areas around the deck, at least! Nice work!
Hi Lindsay!
Thank you so much for your compliments! And thanks again for your tips! 🙂 We do want some ornamental grasses for interest, but we still have to find the right plants. We’ll need evergreens for sure, and I want to keep higher maintenance plants closest to the house.
Thanks!!
Amanda
Are sedumsand other succulents an option in your climate? There are a anumber of cold-hardy ones. You don’t have to trim them back, and they do great in low rainfall conditions.
Hi Gaidig!
Some succulents and sedum work here. Actually, I bought a few (sedum, hens and chicks and other succulents) last year to test out. They’re in a planter that I didn’t water at all over the winter, but they’re alive and thriving this spring! I’d love to add more because they are so, so easy to care for. The fact they lived all winter without water is just amazing.
Thanks!
Amanda