Do you want your yard to turn heads, make your neighbors jealous, be the most beautiful on the block, and increase the value of your home? Do you want this while also being drought tolerant, full of nutrition, and supporting plants that love Nevada (just like we do)? Well we have your solution: Xeriscape Nevada with Full Circle Soils & Compost and the River School Farm.
This is a multi-part blog series walking you through the Xeriscape Nevada process on a current project unfolding in Reno, Nevada. Get ready to witness the amazing power of wildly productive soils, composts and mulches. When these nutrient packed materials are used with Nevada tolerant plants and water savvy irrigation systems, you can create landscape glory! (Hey, this is a work in progress so…these initial pictures are the first stages. Part 2 and 3 will blow your mind!)
What is Xeriscape: a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation. Courtesy of the word experts at Merriam-Webster).
So what’s the plan? Our good friends at the River School Farm mapped out a whole plan to revitalize this front yard of a rental house in Reno. As you can see, the yard has seen better days.
The Xeriscape Nevada project in Reno before the magic happens!
Here is a list of the kinds of native Nevada and drought tolerant plants this Xeriscape Nevada project will be using. Edible landscape, built in privacy hedges, beautiful wild flowers…ohhh yes:
Evergreen Ground-cover
- Creeping Thyme
- Yarrow
- Blue Stonecrop
- Alpine Strawberry
- Lamb’s Ears
Viewscreen Hedge
- Oregon Grape
- chokecherry
- Autumn Olive
- Blackberries, Thornless
Evergreen Shrubs
- Fernbush
- Yucca
- Ceanothus velutinus
- Golden Currant Screen
Kitchen Herbs
- Greek Oregano
- Culinary Thyme
- Sage
- Tarragon
- Anise Hyssop
- Lemon Balm
- Chives
Wildflowers
Mountain Mahogany
Fruit Trees
- Peach
- Apple
- Pear
Lavender
Ornamental Bunch Grass
- Foxtail Grass
- Switchgrass
- Silver Feather Grass
Flowering Shrubs & Perennials
- Gold Buttons Yarrow
- Catmint
- Palmer’s Penstemmon
- Sunset Hyssop
- Caryopteris
- Russian Sage
- Maximilian Sunflwoer
- Apache Plume
- Bush Cinquefoil
- Butterfly Bush
- Rosemary
After establishing a plan with native and drought tolerant plants, the next step is to BOOST the native soil to growing perfection. Even in Xeriscape projects, Nevada soils need specific minerals and nutrients so it will sustain long lasting results. DO NOT IGNORE fixing your soil in any landscape project. Do it right the first time so your results will last as long as your home. The worst is seeing brand new landscape that dies because the home owner decided to use low cost products. Hey, low cost is great but usually equals low quality, especially in soils, compost, and mulches. Treat your soil right!
PROTECT Mulch and BOOST soil amendment awaiting application at this Xeriscape Nevada project!
1.) Work up that existing lawn. Break up the original soil. Mix in the awesome soil amendment
First, work up the original soil to synchronize the old turf to blend with the soil amendment
2.) Outline your walking paths and get your drip irrigation ready. This plan is tying into the existing irrigation system that the home owner was not using. This will make for easy maintenance for renters.
The soil amendment has been worked in and the drip irrigation lines are being added. We are on track!
That is all for now folks!
Part 2 will go into planting and mulching. Part 3 will show you the results. Please check back for more about this wonderful Xeriscape Nevada project to see how it all turns out.
