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.

Zero$cape

I have a mess of a yard. No question. I also live in sunny San Antonio, Texas. We've had little rain this year and the temperatures have remained at a scorching 100°+. I have patches of yard that I'm grateful to have anything growing on it; the direct sunlight and little moisture have left only the hardiest of plants (not including most of my grass) to survive on these islands of death.

As a teacher, I have the summer "off." I've put a lot of thought into what to do with my yard when my time comes. Please allow me to introduce my philosophy:

1. The $ in Zero$cape refers to a lack of money spent on this project. All materials must be free or downright cheap. Fencing project may bend this rule.
2. Recycle, recycle, recycle.
3. The yard and garden must be low-maintenance, meaning it must have low water consumption and require little pruning.
4. Local plants and materials must be used as frequently as possible.
5. The landscaping must improve priavcy and utility. Blocking neighborhood trash from the yard and providing shady, clean places to rest outside take high priority.
6. Sources of open water must be minimized to reduce mosquito infestation.
7. Natural processes like rain and decomposition must further reduce the cost and improve the benefit of the landscape.

Some goals:

• Create pathways from the front yard to the backyard that allow access between the mailbox, driveway, front door, water hose, patio and air conditioner.
• Create a shaded sitting spot in the front yard.
• Showcase local flowers in the front yard.
• Add trees and shrubs in both the front and back yard to improve shade and reduce soil erosion.
• Landscape the back yard (somehow) to prevent further erosion or reverse the effects of what has already happened.
• Insert a koi pond to eat mosquito larvae and provide nutrient-rich water to certain plants.
• Grow herbs vegetables and / or fruit.
• Use rain capture methods for watering instead of city water.
• Use a compost heap to produce fertile soil for continued gardening.
  
  

I look forward to sharing my experiences. Hopefully, I can inspire others to find creative and inexpensive ways to improve their yards while respecting the environment and natural resources!