Zero$cape Reloaded

Well, we moved. So, the plans for the old house went as this:

• Give away the rocks and boulders.
• Clean up the yard by keeping it mowed and trimmed.
• Hide compost.
• Water dry spots to keep them as green as possible.
• Keep roses watered and neat.

After a brutal summer and drought, we sold the house and bought another (pictures pending). It has a number of the same issues as the last, but complicated by its own unique situation.

Here goes:

1. The foundation has been repaired. Parts of the exterior (the porches) sag a little.
2. The very back part of the backyard slopes steeply.
3. On the bright side, we moved into a cul-de-sac so the overall back yard is huge.
4. Water drains from the front of the house - and the houses across the street - into our front yard which drains under the door of our fence, which sits there since the soil is full of clay. The clay causes the water in that area to pool when its wet and the dirt forms large cracks when it's been dry for a while.
5. Much of the back yard was dead (when we bought the house).
6. The large tree in the front yard is almost completely dead.
7. The front yard has several different bushes that are connected in a jagged line that doesn't make much sense to me.
8. The remaining, smaller trees are overgrown and in need of pruning.
9. Two rose bushes in the back are overgrown and in need of pruning.
10. Most of the back yard and some of the front yard is covered in a lettuce-looking weed.
11. The walkway and driveway encompass an area that is mostly dirt, probably from a foundation repair.

So follow me as my family and I improve our new home!

The Back Yard - In the Beginning

The back yard leaves me with quite a challenge.

It's large enough for a decent play area for my daughter, but I have to fight erosion (due to a significant slope away from the house) and take a balanced area for xeriscape landscaping.

My only tree in the back yard is a crepe myrtle and it's on the side of the house. My neighbors' trees inconveniently shade parts of my yard and leave the rest to scorch.

It needs a path around the house to the a/c unit and electric meter to guide the meter-checkers away from things that could unintentionally get trampled.

In short:
Fight erosion,
Have a safe, clean play area,
Have beautiful, safe, low maintenance areas,
Revitalized unhealthy parts of the lawn,
Provide reasonable access to important parts of the house and yard.

Online Resources

A few worth online sites worth consideration:

San Antonio Craigslist Free Section
Lots of great scores if you're patient and persistent.

A garden "online planner".
Granted, there was a link from a local nursery... but it may help with putting ideas to paper.

SAWS Watersaver Landscape rebate. This is motivation in and of itself to reduce the yard to mostly xeriscape.

Rocks and Boulders

Craigslist score! The Texas Hill Country is literally littered with rocks such as these. Frequently, landowners will have some project that requires them to clear out rocks such as these. These came from a post on Craigslist ad in the "free" section. The only cost: gas for three trips and an IOU to help move.

Four boulders amount to a solid bench and perhaps a sore back if one doesn't life carefully!

Another large boulder that is going nowhere until I find a good place for it to rest.

The rest of the collection. Excellent for borders, accents and perhaps another bench or table.
A few more might net a path of stepping stones.

The front yard - In the beginning

These two views provide the essence of the front yard looking from the street and from the front porch. The pile of boulders seen in front of the tree is a score from Craigslist which I will cover shortly. The unshaded part of the yard is nearly dead from the ongoing drought and over-exposure from the sun. (We have just entered "Stage 2" drought restrictions, which severely limits the amount and kind of watering.)

You should also see the fence wavering from the ground shifting. Going between wet and dry seasons causes the land around a house (or even a street) to move about. The door of our fence barely opens and drags the whole way. The wood post it hangs from wavers when opening it, too.

The main tree provides decent shade which would make it ideal for relaxing under on a summer morning or evening.

In case you're wondering, these pictures were "put together" into a panoramic image using Autostitch, a free panoramic software.