Fort Worth Landscaping with Little Fuss or Water Waste? Xeriscaping With Native Texas Plants May Be Your Answer.

There’s plenty to look forward to in a Fort Worth Summer. Barbeque, big blue skies, swimming, a boat on the lake… air conditioner and ice cubes. What’s not to love? Well. Yard maintenance, right? Even gardeners may admit that the highest, driest, most plant wilting moments in Summer aren’t exactly our favorite.

Taking into consideration water usage and the price, impact, and time drain of a yard that needs heavy maintenance, it’s really no wonder that home owners may find themselves frustrated with keeping up that lush, green lawn and exotic flower beds. Enter what very well may be your new best friend, Xeriscaping. It’s an odd term for a relatively simple concept: landscape with plants that are zone and condition appropriate, and you reduce the need for excessive irrigation! Maybe you’ve heard of the terms “drought-tolerant landscaping” or “smart-scaping” at some point, which apply the same ideas.

• Conserve Water
• Minimize Weeding
• Minimize Mulching
• Minimize Mowing

You might be thinking right now about rock gardens and yards of cacti. While those can both be attractive options, Xeriscaping can be as varied as any other garden! If well planned, Xeriscaping can make excellent use of any gorgeous native Texas trees, bushes, grasses, and flowers. There are several sources out there (like Texas A&M’s site) that give you a vast array of native plants of all colors, varieties, shapes, and sizes. Maybe start small, with just your flowerbeds and some accent plants. Or if you do some poking around and are inspired by what you find, you can dive in and overhaul your entire yard, and look for returns on your investment in your water bill and time saved! It’s a trend that other native metroplexians are picking up on too.

For the past three years, the City of Fort Worth water department and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) have sponsored the EcoScape competition as a way to promote participation. The contest is open to the City of Fort Worth and several surrounding cities, and runs from June to August. Keep an eye out for this year’s competition, and go HERE to check out last year’s winners from right here in DFW!

Until next time! – The Young Home Team

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