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Old 07-07-11, 11:30 PM   #11
tomboy mom
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i use clover instead of grass. i highly recommend planting it with any trees that aren't of the mesquite- palo verde-ironwood type. the rock gets way too hot and the reflective heat is too hard on the trees. don't wait until it's already hot to try to establish clover. like all non-desert plants in the desert, it tends to do better crowded than not. also, i certainly would not trim them right now. i will wait until september or october probably. even if they recover fine, the rest of the yard is depending on that low shade. the first picture demonstrates this along with mulch--another friend of green in the desert).

and yes, rock can be nice. my front yard is mostly rock--probably more eco-friendly than my back but very very hot. the temperature differerence from front to back yard is significant. in order to keep the house cool in the summer (and by cool i mean at or below 90 most of the time) i had to plant in the rock closer to the house.

i am attaching three pictures of how we "low water" it in the front yard. one shot is of the border i made along one side of the front using river rock--sorry about the weird camera angle. the border allowed me to improve the soil on the inside of the bed so i could water less. the heavy clay at the outside of the border mostly resists water. those plants are drought tolerant but they do appreciate some well-timed water. along that side of the house i have prickly pear, beans going up squiggly poles, ice plants, assorted cacti, lady slippers, pencil cactus, bougenvilla, elephant food, dragon fruit, and some unnamed succulents. we eat the prickly pear, effectively controlling its size. i also planted a cantaloupe next to the hose to use up any spilled water. it currently has six fruits on it so that seems to be working well.

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Last edited by tomboy mom; 07-07-11 at 11:38 PM..
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Old 07-08-11, 08:46 AM   #12
Phantom
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I recommend looking at what plants are native and other plants that are similar but noninvasive. Also look into using rain barrels and setting up a gray water system for watering the plants, to reduce the water used.
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Old 07-08-11, 12:21 PM   #13
tomboy mom
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom View Post
Also look into using rain barrels and setting up a gray water system for watering the plants, to reduce the water used.
great ideas! we don't use rain barrels, and i don't have an organized gray water system.
i do water my plants close to the house with left over mop water and left over bath water by carrying them outside with buckets.

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