Drive-By Gardens: Xeric, mass-planted garden replaces a lot of lawn
The lawn-gone trend is going strong, especially in Austin, where watering restrictions and the drought have galvanized even non-gardening homeowners to convert their thirsty landscapes into drought-tolerant planting beds. Here’s another one, which I spotted in the southwest Austin neighborhood of Covenant Estates.
This lawn replacement relies on mass plantings of tough-as-nails, low-maintenance plants. Just four kinds of plants fill half of this spacious yard: Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima), red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora), and agave (A. americana?), with ground-covering silver ponyfoot (Dichondra argentea) shimmering like a lake under the trees.
On the other side of the front walk, in a deep strip (approximately 10 feet deep; go big or go home!) along the street — typically a difficult place to keep lawn green and happy — a staggered double line of what looks like skeleton-leaf goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba) provides some privacy and an explosion of fall color. If I’m in the area again in a couple of weeks, I’ll swing by to see these in full bloom.
My thanks to reader Charlene for the tip about the drive-bys in today’s and yesterday’s posts. I welcome suggestions for interesting and/or lawn-gone gardens to check out for future posts. It helps if you can send me a photo or two with your suggestions so I know what to look for.
All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Your drive-by posts are great! Every time I see one, I think “why don’t I carry my camera when I go out?”
A little camera is easier to carry for these spontaneous photo shoots. I carry a small one when I visit clients, and so I have it handy when I see a yard I want to photograph. Of course cell phones these days have pretty good cameras too, so there’s always that route. —Pam
This might not qualify as a “lawn-gone garden”, but I always enjoy driving by the Victory Medical Center in South Austin. They did a beautiful job with the plantings all around their parking lot. It looks like it’s xeric but I’ve never actually taken the time to stop and really look at it. It’s right at the corner of Ben White and Victory Dr.
Good to know, Hanna. Thanks for the tip. Yeah, it doesn’t have to be “lawn-gone.” I just did a drive-by of a lawn edged with oxblood lilies, in fact. —Pam
Well if you get to Houston soon to see family, you have to check out 605 Peddie in the Heights.
I’ll add it to my list, Chris. Thanks! —Pam
Like Chris, if you come to Dallas to visit family, I’m at 6834 Chantilly Lane near White Rock Lake. My lawn – gone back garden is coming along, and my “honey, I shrunk the lawn” front garden is being worked on. Look for the Mexican palmetto in front.
Thanks for the invitation, Peter. I’d love to see your new garden sometime and will definitely be in touch should I be in Dallas with a little extra time on my hands. —Pam
The Drive-By features are most interesting….
Wondering if there is weed-barrier of some sort applied here between plants??????
I wouldn’t bother with a weed barrier because I’ve seen how weed seeds will blow in from above, take root, and then entangle their roots in the weed barrier. It just makes pulling them out that much harder. Better by far to be proactive with the weeding the first year and then stay on top of it each spring. I’m glad you’re enjoying the drive-by posts, Rebecca. —Pam
Pam, I have admired the silver ponyfoot (Dichondra argentea) in potted arrangements. It is difficult to find. Does it stay silver all year? Does it die back in the winter? Have you had much experience with it? I like working with silver. We have had great success with dusty miller in our neighborhood in N.Texas.
Jeanette, silver ponyfoot usually dies back in the winter in Austin, although in mild winters or in protected areas it may stay evergreen. I would think in North Texas it would pretty much go dormant in winter. I like it a lot and find it grows best when mulched with decomposed granite rather than wood mulch. It likes gritty soil and does well in partial shade. I’ve heard that deer will eat it, so I chose to use similar-colored wooly stemodia in my deer-infested front garden. —Pam
Now see what you’ve done young lady!?
It’s flattering to think so, Peter. However, the lawn replacement movement has been underway in Austin for a lot longer than my book has been out. I do hope that I’ve helped show people a lot of great alternatives. 🙂 —Pam
That looks nice and simple…and soooo cool! (Viguiera stenoloba) – that is something I don’t think I have seen, I look forward to your post on that plant in bloom.
Fall is its big moment, Heather. I really will have to visit this neighborhood again to check it out soon. —Pam
I really like the grasses, I’m going to start the Nasella from seed next year and hope it does well. I hope someday to have a garden with no grass. It’s not possible now on 2 acres and we keep poultry in moveable tractors that eat the grass as well. But we don’t water it at all, it just goes dormant in the summer.
I bet the Nassella will do very well from seed, as it spreads quite readily in gravelly soil. Despite that, it’s easy to pull if it pops up where you don’t want it. It’s one of my favorite small grasses for our climate. —Pam