Hi Lauren, the first step in your transformation definitely needs to be to remove the grass - if you cover it with layers of cardboard, that takes care of that. Ugly enough for you? Then cover it with mulch such as pebbles or smaller areas of river rock, and then arrange a cluster of larger rocks in the swoop of the bricks, and maybe plant some small trailing type plants (personal recommendation: Sempervivum) in the crevices.

I have some ideas on my page here: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/193376/thumbs/Xeric-Gardens

Ask me questions!

Ok, we're committed to removing all the grass, just uncertain how to keep it from looking either barren or unkempt. I don't think we want all river rock/pebbles - any recommendations on groundcover that stays green, short enough to not have to mow and it doesn't need to be able to have foot traffic.

I've been looking at the tons of water-wise plans in the High Country Gardens catalog - any other ideas for where to look/shop?

I also found this cool freeware, showoff.com that would let you add a pic of your house, then pick plants and plot them where you want, BUT it doesn't work! LOL It just gets stuck on the 'loading' when you pick a plant! I'm a horrible person for imagination/visualization, so I LOVED the picture idea.....is there anything else like that out there?

Thanks so much for your help - I'm off to check out your idea book!

lauren

Hi Lauren, it's so exciting that you have started, even if you are flying by the seat of the pants! For a groundcover that stays green (or colored at least) you might be interested in Sedum; there are many kinds that are low growing, and then flower in pink, white, or yellow and as an added bonus will attract butterflies and many native pollinators such as solitary bees. My personal favorites are Sedum spurium 'Dragons Blood' (dark red foliage, hot pink blooms) Sedum spurium album superbum (green foliage, white flowers earliest blooming) among others.

Another suggestion is creeping thyme, to make a thyme lawn. The best species is Elfin thyme, which is extremely compact, and covers well, and also blooms.

High Country Gardens is a good source for both of these plants, and I'm sure there are others (I can only supply Canadian customers, sorry)

It's too bad your software doesn't want to work - it's possible that you need lots of room on your computer for it.

Forgot to say, when you buy these types of plants, get more than one, and plant a drift of them. They're much more spectacular in large quantities, and the impact is almost immediate.

Ok, what's a 'drift' of them - like how many plants to do that? I tried the software on 3 different computers and no go on any of them!

Also, in our 'oasis' zone (behind the stone wall thingie) so I need to till up the soil, add more dirt and compost, then plant? I think we're going to do the newspaper weed barrier thing too, btw.

I just don't know how high the dirt needs to be to set the plants off as well as they can be, visually! I sure do appreciate your help. Can I pretend I'm in T-O?

lauren

Hi Lauren, it sounds like you need a crash course in design! For a drift, that would be more than 3 of the same plant, planted in a sort of a rough line, not a circle. I've seen many landscapes ruined by planting in a geometric kind of shape, when you would never see that in nature. A natural garden will have clusters and different plants interwoven, in larger drifts that blend in at the edges.

For your oasis (that would be the area right next to the house??) then your soil may need to be better quality, but depending on what kinds of plants you're going to use, it might not need to be really rich. I am concerned that you want to berm it up, which may or may not be completely feasible, depending on the construction of your house (you can't go any higher than the foundation if concrete)

Another thought I had (in the middle of the night - LOL) was that this area might lend itself to a dry streambed, as you husband has said he would like a water feature. This is a way of introducing the sense of water, without actually having any (or, of course, you can have a pump at one end and a long return pipe - sound like a hassle? It is.)

It's too bad your software won't go. It sounds like an issue in the actual programming. There is a lot of that kind of software out there, but none of it free, apparently.

If you would be interested in getting someone to design your area for you, here's another option (no affiliation) http://www.landscape-design-advice.com I know she does designs that might be exactly what you're looking for.

OMG I love you in a forum asking-contributor kind of way! :) So, today I got crayons (ok the cheap set of 27 for $2.19 US) and let me ask you.....WTF are those colors? LOL They were so lame, I couldn't even make a decent drawing...really, brown....you don't have BROWN? soooooooooooo that project went by the wayside and I"m going to try to stick with my basic drunkenly devised plan.

Hey, if I post a link of this amazing planter, do you think you guys could help me find one just like it (or get one built)?

Ok, it's that big ole honking thing -I bet in real life, it's 4'-5' in diameter....I want this NOW!

http://texastufa.blogspot.com/2011/10/redentas-garden.html

Oh, Lauren I'm laughing at you, in a really good, omg she's so funny type of way. That planter is doable - I love making hypertufa, it's a steep learning curve, but there is a ton of interest in it right now, so lots of information about it. If you're into Facebook here's a group that is full of great ideas about hypertufa: https://www.facebook.com/groups/89367815733/

You may have to rein in your enthusiasm, and concentrate on one thing at a time!

Hi Lauren, I am also in Texas, so I know what you have been through with the drought.
I have been taking out my lawn a little at a time each year and replacing it with beds of native plants. Native plants, once established, do not need the care as would the non natives. http://www.texassuperstar.com/ If you go to this site, you can see the plants that do great in Texas. Also, if you look through the Mediterranean landscapes on Houzz, you can get great ideas on what to do with your yard. Just remember to use the plants that work well in Texas.

Looking at your yard, I can get an idea of how you can replace your grass and still have colorful plants without looking like a barren desert. You are spot on with the curving flowerbed, if you keep the curves in your yard, you can have stone paths winding around plants. I would suggest continuing the curving bed along your drive all the way to the street. Maybe even extending it to meet up with the one around your mailbox. I would also have one going to the other side of your yard, especially if you are going to use a groundcover, you do not want a groundcover invading your neighbor's lawn. Actually, I would do a complete border around your yard, just do it in the continuous swooping or curving lines. Fill the beds in with native plants and lots of mulch, once established, no biggie on having a drought. Since you have border around your yard, you can have a groundcover without it invading your neighbors yard. I would put in a stone path from the mailbox to the door though. To get rid of the grass, cover it with plastic sheeting, our hot sun will get rid your grass easily.

A water feature may not be cost prohibitive, depending on your budget. Your hubby can make his own with a water pump, there are many great ideas to search for on the web. I would make the water feature on the corner of your walkway elbow, maybe, kinda hard to make a plan by just pics, so that when people are walking up the walkway, they will pass by it.

LOL The more I look at your yard, the more ideas pop into my head. An easy way to help you plan your yard, take a pic, enlarge it, put transparency film over it, and draw out a plan on it. If you don't like something, just wipe it off and start again.

Looking at your pics again, what kind of tree is that? What direction does your house face, are you getting morning or evening sun? How much shade cover does the tree give the yard?

The house faces North, the tree is 1/2 dead (we had that part pruned off in hopes of saving the tree) and it's a green tree...I have NO idea what kind it is. The 1/2 that's dead/missing provided a bunch of shade near the house, but now it's gone, so that will get pretty much sun. The other 1/2 of the tree (the half towards the street) provides a decent canopy of shade. I LOVE the swoopy idea - and I am trying to envision the planting area all the way down by the driveway. I will have to rescue my inferior crayons from the trash can and try another drawing!

Your ideas are very appealing - will have to check the website and hunt around here more! Keep 'em coming if you're so inclined!

Thanks - lauren

Lauren, it sounds like you've got some great feedback from raynel; can't wait to see where it goes from here - best of luck, and hope you can post again once you get going.

Ok, we started with the front flower bed. We used tar paper, peat moss, soil and lots of mulch. Planted a few things so far (supposed to be relatively low-water plants, which was our goal) and we'll slowly add more.

This year, we actually HAVE a lawn that's green (which is completely unlike the one last year, that was dead grass and dirt) so we're going to hold off on the Xeriscaping of the entire yard until we have enough $$ to do it right.

Here's 2 pictures on day 1 - we're watering daily and are keeping our fingers crossed! You may also notice a boring, crooked, rough looking hypertufa pot in the front - I did that and have quickly realized I am not a good hypertufa-er!

Hi Lauren, guess you guys got some of the rain we've been getting by the way your grass is looking. What kind of plants did you get, do you remember the names? Skullcap is great for bordering, it's a heat and drought tolerant plant. It also spreads great without being invasive.

I planted Pink Mulhy grass by the front part you can't really see, flanking a chicks and peeps plant. I also planted caladeum bulbs, but I doubt they'll come up this year, so I may overplant there. We also have lily tree bulbs (mixed, set of 5) that were quasi-erupting, so we'll see). Otherwise, I got a few plans from the store, including seedum I think, so we will hope for the best! our budget is MUCh smaller than my ideas :/

Mulch under tree, because nothing will want to grow there. I would plant a lot of tall grasses: the kind that grow in clumps, wave in the breeze and don't take much water. A mass planting would be very dramatic.
We are in the same position that you are. Living in Redding, Ca we can go 6 months without rain and often set record highs!
In your flower bed area you could set large ceramic pots filled with the flowers of your choice. Change out for the different seasons. I find that this is a great way to enjoy some flowers in a difficult climate: they are higher and more visible and easy to replace when they start to look not so hot! On the wall to the right of your front window a black iron trellis with a hardy vine would look good.
I would also make a small planting area around the mail box for some foreground interest.