I will be buying a new home in a month or so, and I will be starting my garden from scratch. I live in San Antonio, Texas and xeriscaping is really the only way to garden effectively, especially since we have been in a water restriction environment for almost 2 years.
What plants would you recommend are "must haves" for a xeriscaped garden?
Starting from Scratch
I am in Colorado and I just don't know enough about San Antonio.
All new plants need water to get established, even low-water ones. Often plants take low water because of their massive root system, which they don't have in a nursery pot & need to grow after you put them in the ground - so they may even take more water than average at first.
Native plants are always good - they are bred to survive local conditions. They may need some water in unusually dry years.
Texas natives that we love to grow in Colorado are Hesperaloe (Texas Red Yucca) Salvia reptans (West Texas Cobalt Sage) Salvia pachyphylla (Purple Sage)
One that I wish we could grow here is Leucophyllum frutescens - I've heard it called Texas Ranger, but I think it is called something different in Texas.
If you like cactus, you can probably grow some nice big Cactus - including Santa Rita prickly-pear, another one that isn't hardy here that I wish I could grow.
Not sure but I assume you can grow Blue (Silver?) Rabbitbrush there - the green form is native here.
Try a good local (not chain-store) nursery - they should steer you in the right direction.
I could recommend some things if I knew how much water will be available....reliably available. Also there is dry shade and dry sun. How much of each do you have?
Pollengarden - Leucophyllum frutescens is Texas Sage. I think they have some new cultivars which are less disease-ridden, and yes they can be beautiful, especially after a rain - when they bloom. The last couple of years, they have really been pretty, but in drought, they can also suffer.
Steadycam3-right now, all I have is dry sun. A small tree that is pencil thin, but it is pretty much a clean slate. I do plan on natives as much as I can. I fell in love with a native called Gregg's Mist, which I plan on keeping as part of my garden. I appreciate the salvias, and planted one in my small garden here. It did great the first year, and squat the last two, but in honesty, the current garden gets more dry shade than sun.
Thanks for the recommendations. I am looking forward to planning and planting my garden.
Im sorry, I did not understand your post. You said, Right now all I have is dry sun. Then in the last sentence you said, but in honesty, the current garden gets more dry shade than sun. Could you clear me up?
Funny about common names. What we call Texas Sage here in Colorado and what they call Texas Sage in Texas are two different things.
Also, due to the altitude and intense sunlight here in Colorado - only 6 hours is enough sun for plants requiring full sun. So I am not the best person to ask about dry shade - our shade is less shady than at lower elevations.
This message was edited Mar 28, 2013 9:46 AM
Steadycam -
Sorry for the miscommunication. I'm moving from one home that has a very small garden that gets mainly shade, to one that gets mainly sun.
The yard consists of 4 plants in the front yard - all drought tolerant -
A Texas Red Oak
Indian Hawthorne (2) they may be the dwarf
Texas Sage.
The backyard has nothing. I was planning to plant around the fence and leave the middle as turf. I would like or two trees in the back yard, but mainly perennials, bushes and a few annuals.
I have a couple of must haves that I have to fit into the garden for sentimental reasons:
Confederate jasmine
snapdragon vine
Margui, I will get back to you shortly.
I know I sound like a promoter of Pam Pennick's "Lawn Gone",but that book is based in Texas. I live in Florida and have been designing my Xeriscaped Back Yard for 5 years. I was really impressed with the book. I had done my own research before starting my project,,,, and given the geographical differences, Pam's text is spot-on!
My garden group and I teach Xeriscaping here. The rules for lawns are: Only plant it where you need it, don't plant more that you need, and use an appropriate type of grass for the location and use.
And I do have a lawn, planted for kids and pets. Now that the kids, pets, and I are older, I am increasing the patio and decreasing the lawn.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is mulching. The desiccation of the soil mainly takes place by capillary action; if you stop that before it reaches the surface, you can retain enough water in the soil for a much greater range of plants.
Of course there are organic mulches, but I find that a simple 1" (or even less) mulch of pea-sized gravel massively increases the humidity of the soil surface, and that doesn't need to be replaced every few months..
I don't always practice what I preach - but when I do mulch the Veggie garden, it cuts its water use in about half.
Thanks everyone that contributed. I have started in the front garden. In addition to mulch, I have added some purple and pink skullcap, salvia greggii and a yucca my sister dug up from her property in the hill country. I think I have a good start.
Try reviewing the recommended plant list from the Lady Bird Wildflower Center's native plant information network database which includes recommended species lists by region and you can also use the plant search function to match ypur conditions of full sun and low water. See link attached as sample.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/combo.php?fromsearch=true&distribution=TX&habit=&duration=&light_sun=1&moist_dry=1&height_01=1&height_02=1&height_03=1&height_04=1&height_05=1