Don’t get out your shovel or head to the nursery quite yet. By taking time to learn some basic principles and best practices used by landscape design professionals, your own design will look amazing and serve you well.
Drought Tolerant Landscaping Ideas Cali Yards Blog 1
Start with the big picture. In front, the yard should complement your home or provide an eye-catching contrast to it. In back, your outdoor lifestyle takes precedence. Do you have kids, or a dog? Your patio, pool, outdoor kitchen, and veggie garden are all elements that form the foundation of your design. The plants you choose can separate as well as decorate each of these “rooms.”
Elevation changes create an overall harmony. Think about tall trees, mid-size shrubs, smaller perennials, and low-growing groundcovers. Use taller plantings to create walls or screens that provide privacy or just a comforting sense of enclosure. If your yard is flat, use large boulders or build low mounts to add interest to your terrain. If your yard slopes, use tiers and wide steps.
If your space is small, incorporate vertical gardening.
Create a few focal points to lead the eye around your garden. Focal points can be a statue or a birdbath, an interesting rock, an unusual flowering tree, or a block of bold color.
Pick plants based on their mature size, and plan accordingly. Giving them room now saves you time and headaches later.
Now that you have the basics in mind, let’s look at how you can transform your vision into a water-wise reality.