GRU water bills got you down? How about those lawn service costs? Chinch bugs in your grass? Try something different, Xeriscaping. And the best part... Alachua County may help pay for it.
Xeriscaping (it sounds like zero but doesn't mean no landscaping) is a technique to reduce irrigation by reducing or removing turfgrass and replacing it with drought-tolerant plants and preferably native plants. Here in Tioga, a few homeowners have taken advantage of these techniques and the County Turf SWAP program.
Liz and Kevin Brown recently completed a xeriscaping project for their front yard. The Browns have been Tioga residents since 2005 and like most other residents received standard landscaping at the time their home was constructed. This included a good bit of turf grass and landscaping that had now become unruly. The Browns wanted their exterior to become more "environmentally friendly" and with only a bit of shade in the front yard, needed drought-tolerant plantings.
Having heard of the Turf SWAP program at the annual County Master Gardener plant sale, the Browns' did some homework. "It was an easy process", noted Liz. The County website has a one-page application form and a list of approved landscape companies. The idea is to replace regular flow irrigation with low flow, drip irrigation and hence save thousands of gallons of water (not to mention $) per year. The Browns also added a lovely water feature. Though not covered by the County program it adds a nice touch to the side yard.
A key to the design is to group plants according to water requirements so if you plan on doing it yourself pay special attention to this aspect. Using lots of mulch to reduce evaporation is also key. See my previous article about the best mulch for guidance. The Browns used a smaller-sized pine bark mulch that stays in place better than the large chips.
If you choose to xeriscape the design will be taken care of by your contractor. But it's good to be informed so there are many resources online from our friends at IFAS. A good place to start may be a smaller portion of your yard such as the front. This is what the Browns decided to do. "We'll deal with the backyard later, but with the County program this was a no-brainer", said Liz. I couldn't agree more!
Xeriscaping (it sounds like zero but doesn't mean no landscaping) is a technique to reduce irrigation by reducing or removing turfgrass and replacing it with drought-tolerant plants and preferably native plants. Here in Tioga, a few homeowners have taken advantage of these techniques and the County Turf SWAP program.
Liz and Kevin Brown recently completed a xeriscaping project for their front yard. The Browns have been Tioga residents since 2005 and like most other residents received standard landscaping at the time their home was constructed. This included a good bit of turf grass and landscaping that had now become unruly. The Browns wanted their exterior to become more "environmentally friendly" and with only a bit of shade in the front yard, needed drought-tolerant plantings.
Having heard of the Turf SWAP program at the annual County Master Gardener plant sale, the Browns' did some homework. "It was an easy process", noted Liz. The County website has a one-page application form and a list of approved landscape companies. The idea is to replace regular flow irrigation with low flow, drip irrigation and hence save thousands of gallons of water (not to mention $) per year. The Browns also added a lovely water feature. Though not covered by the County program it adds a nice touch to the side yard.A key to the design is to group plants according to water requirements so if you plan on doing it yourself pay special attention to this aspect. Using lots of mulch to reduce evaporation is also key. See my previous article about the best mulch for guidance. The Browns used a smaller-sized pine bark mulch that stays in place better than the large chips.
If you choose to xeriscape the design will be taken care of by your contractor. But it's good to be informed so there are many resources online from our friends at IFAS. A good place to start may be a smaller portion of your yard such as the front. This is what the Browns decided to do. "We'll deal with the backyard later, but with the County program this was a no-brainer", said Liz. I couldn't agree more! |
| Water Feature |
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