Traditional landscaping has always included a lot of lawn. Whether it is the backyard of a residential home or the imposing front aspect of a commercial property, lush green grass is more often than not the landscaping of choice. But although lawns are beautiful, they are one of the most high maintenance landscape choices that you can make.
Today people are more educated on the fact that we are in a drought area and that water is limited. Fortunately, there are also many incredible drought-resistant plants and other water-saving landscape features that can be used to make an outside setting look simply beautiful. As spring approaches, it is a great time to consider altering your yard to make it a water efficient and visually attractive garden paradise.
To help you get started I’ve listed below some great ideas you can use to transform your yard.
No lawn – One of the first things that you want to do when re-landscaping is to remove all lawn areas from your yard. Lawns are expensive to maintain because they need regular grooming and a lot of water to look good. It simply does not make any sense to have a lawn in Southern California due to the fact we are located in a water drought area and our water supply is limited.
Drought resistant plants – There are so many varieties of beautiful plants, vines and trees that need very little water and most garden shops and nurseries have a great selection of these plants.
Cement – There are many ways you can use cement to beautify a yard. Cement can be dyed to be color coordinated with a theme. Cement can also be stamped before it dries to create a texture or a mock tile, brick, cobble stone or many other types of masonry work. Cement is very long lasting and looks great.
Outdoor furniture – With our beautiful weather here in San Diego, it makes sense to have outdoor living space. You can furnish a patio area with fantastic furniture that will provide a wonderful outdoor room. Even a simple park bench or two can create a very beautiful setting in a yard.
Water features – Fountains and other types of water feature are a great addition to any yard. They do not waste water because a pump recycles the water. There are large and small water features, ones that you can hang on the wall and ones that be installed in ground. They not only give visual beauty, but they also give the tranquil sound of flowing water.
Koi pond – Koi ponds have become very popular in the last few years and are a very beautiful addition to any yard.
Arbors, trellis and Canopies – It is always a nice touch to have an arbor or a trellis, particularly if it has a climbing vine on it. Canopies are also an attractive way to cover a seating area in a yard.
Block walls and masonry work – Block walls are a great way to give your yard more privacy. However, this is a more expensive proposition but a very long lasting and substantial addition to a yard.
Synthetic lawns – If you really can’t live without your lawn – go synthetic. I know, most people think of synthetic lawns as being really tacky, but believe it or not they have improved a lot in the last five to ten years and many of them today look great, particularly if they are installed properly and have other plants blended into the overall landscaping.
These are just a few examples of ideas you can consider to create a low maintenance, drought resistant yard without compromising on the beauty of your landscaping. So plan to get out in your yard and start creating your new beautiful lawnless garden!
Trent St. Louis is a licensed Real Estate Agent and a member of the National, California and San Diego Association of Realtors. You can reach Trent at SpecialAgentTrent@gmail.com or at his office in Hillcrest, 619-300-1621. The Metropolitan Group (CADRE#01273643).
