the XERIC ZONE
Navigation + Home + About + Budgeting Basics + Essentials + Resources + Contact ::: Quercus The Xeric Zone Copyright © Quercus Creative Director: David Cristiani Usage Policy		Home > Essentials :: Elements Built and natural landscapes, like a finely tuned car, are a blend of different parts that each require care. But unlike mechanical items, landscapes contain living organisms that must grow with each other and within their surroundings. Below is an overview of some common parts of a landscape. A NOTE: photos in this section are not necessarily from Quercus projects, since there are so many good examples! ANOTHER NOTE: materials listed below are not always suitable for every site, let alone every town in our vast and varied region; use a variety of literature and common sense before specifying any material for use in a landscape.

Sitework + Hardscape The first step in landscape design and installation is planning for the function of a site, including manipulating storm water into planting areas and away from harm, directing views, and how people and wildlife could use the landscape. We call this sitework and hardscape, since it is the infrasctructure of outdoor living environment.

Grading, Drainage, Erosion Control, and Landforms Arroyo-trail: San Lorenzo Canyon Guadalupe Mountains El Paso open space North Four Hills Landscape path: Rio Grande Bot Gardens | Berm | Swale Slope: Sidewalk with erosion control plantings Rock terracing, plants | Large rock So much in nature flows from one place to another, changes forms, and then reappears. Artfully and subtly, one can utilize grade changes for interest, berms for screening and drought-tolerant plantings, move water from structures (where it can be a hazard) to where it is needed (such as denser plantings), and create paths for people and animals to use in between wet periods. And more good news: these functions do not have to look like a flood control authority's concrete channel or a weekend warrior's home improvement store project!  Tip: After the grade is established to properly drain water away from structures and paving, shape all the grades so their forms relate. Relate plant locations with grades and vice versa.

Paving Concrete pavers | Concrete paving, pebble bands | Crushed gravel driveway There are a variety of surfaces for vehicular and pedestrian traffic to move on. While the exact paving type depends on such things as climate and types of people using the surface, the arrangement and placement of paving does much to either complete a good landscape or ruin it. So remember: there are many options to exposed aggregate concrete or the ugly patterned concrete pavers sold by home improvement chains...many better options! Tip: Don't use too many curves when designing paving edges, even though many people are doing it! Instead, let the plantings define and soften edges, and boldly use appropriate angles and lines that echo nearby architecture.

Walls and Structures CMU wall, split-face accents | Sandstone Veneer Patio Wall Shade Ramada: Rough pine | Round pine Structures, such as walls to screen unsightly views and provide privacy, or ramadas and pergolas to provide shade are nice to use in a landscape because their effects are immediate. A shade tree is not, unless one spends vast sums or installs a fast-growing, fast-dying tree species. Though well-designed and constructed structural elements cost more per square foot than plantings, their solidity adds much to the value of the space they are used in. Tip: If your budget is slim, consider a structural element that serves more than one need; a two foot high garden wall, if formed deep or wide enough, can also serve as a seat wall, as well as a colorful accent piece.

Water Features Basalt fountain | Stock tank fountain | Swimming pool and spa A client commented about how obsessed southwesterners seem with having water nearby. About early July, she saw why...even a small, carefully placed feature really helps you feel cool just with the trickling sound of water. A valuable water feature is sited for maximum impact, can be large or small, and can look very modern and structured or subtle and natural (but never contrived)...and they can be worth their water use.  Tip: Be aware that larger ponds and water features often require huge maintenance and monetary expenses, including regular algae control.

Mulches and the Ground Plane Inorganic: Crusher fines/decomposed granite | Neutral-colored gravel: Tan-Gray Brown Native soil Swale or streambed: Large and small round rock mix The edge: Natural, using plants Unattractive, contrived The mulch material one uses depends on the function of the surface and the plants used with it; organic mulches (such as wood or plant products) in the southwest are best limited to enclosed oasis settings and large-leafed plants, while inorganic mulches (such as rock products) are best used with dryland plants. Either way, weed growth MUST be significantly reduced BEFORE mulches are applied. Filter fabric is NOT the easy solution to all their weed woes since weed seeds often blow into mulches on top of it...plus, weed barriers make irrigation repairs and other future work harder to deal with, and they even prevent many groundcover plants from spreading underground. Also: NEVER use plastic under a mulch, as such use in any planted bed is the equivilent to living plants as the act of putting a plastic bag over your head and trying to breathe! And last: fine the fine line between keeping your planting area from being as sterile as a kitchen floor and unkempt as a cattle yard...plants appreciate some organic matter. Tip: Mulches are used in order to control weed growth and provide proper soil moisture retention, never as a substitute for plants in order to prevent maintenance. Mulches, if the material can be compacted, can also serve as less of a heat-radiating, informal paving area or path than concrete.

Irrigation It has been said that plants in the desert will die if they don't receive water. More can be added to this, however. Water can be delivered to plants by something as simple as clever grading, and it can be delivered mechanically through something more complex as an irrigation system. Correct water use is critical to a healthy landscape: people save or waste water far more than plants.

Water Harvesting Grading: Swale-Berm Swale Did you know that much of our meager rainfall gets little use in our landscapes? Water harvesting is a simple technique that channels water into plantings from a roof, paving, higher ground, or even from a storage feature (like a cistern). This technique reproduces what is found in nature, where higher plant densities and even some less drought-tolerant plants are found in arroyos and floodplains that slow down water and let it infiltrate into plant root zones, while succulents and other plants that prefer drier conditions grow elsewhere on uplands. As more landscape projects are planned around minimizing water use, water harvesting is an invaluable tool for increased success, along with specifying native plants. Another emerging trend, creating landscapes with hand-watering instead of an irrigation system, requires that this techique be properly used. Tip: Deeply hand-water water harvesting-area plant root zones during cooler, less windy times of the day: both to establish new plants and to help established plants during droughts.

Plants Nothing brings vitality to a landscape like a plant. Since plants may be the most misunderstood element of high desert landscaping, they could have been featured first, even though they are about the last step in creating a landscape design or installation. A wrong plant in the wrong place is also a major cause of landscape removal costs, but it doesn't have to be that way! When plants are used in accordance with their needs, proper scale to the site, and with a sense of purpose, a landscape makes it's presence known.

Trees + Skyline Accents Catclaw Acacia | Netleaf Hackberry | Hairy Mountain Mahogany Desert Willow: Multi trunk Single trunk | Desert Olive | Oneseed Juniper Chinese Pistache | Arizona Sycamore | Texas Honey Mesquite Screwbean Mesquite : Natural stand in bosque Landscape setting Park setting Western Honey Mesquite | Velvet Mesquite: In town Foothills Closeup Escarpment Live Oak: Summer Winter | Gambel / Rocky Mountain White Oak Gray Oak | Silverleaf Oak | Mexican Blue Oak | Desert / Shrub Live Oak Wavyleaf Oak | Mexican Elder | Torrey Yucca | Beaked Yucca Joshua Tree: Albuquerque NM landscape Northern edge of natural range, Oasis CA Hawthorne NV landscape Northern edge of natural range, Olancha CA Soaptree Yucca: Landscape Along I-25 in Albuquerque NM SE of Belen NM Trees in the high desert are few and far between, but even small ones can be pruned into something that brings scale and light shade to temper our sun; one need not use large weed trees like Ash anymore! Trees are the first part of a planting design, due to their eventual size. Some plants are not quite tall enough to be considered trees, but they perform some similar functions. These could be called "Skyline Accents", as their upright form can be used to punctuate our vibrant skies. Though not all of these species are readily available, one can special order those unavailable, or install them in smaller 5 or 1 gallon sizes. Tip: As with most plants, trees provide the greatest impact if they are grouped with like species, as in nature. In a large landscape, though, contrast groupings of one species against another.

Shrubs Whitethorn Acacia: Entire plant Flower closeup | Viscid Acacia: Entire plant Flower close-up Leadplant | Sand Sage | Fourwing Saltbush | Fernbush | Cliffrose | Green Mormon Tea Turpentine Bush | Apache Plume | Winter Jasmine: Shrub, Spring Shrub, Fall Trailing Form Creosote Bush | Wait-a-Minute Bush | Mariola | Broom Dalea Mexican Oregano | Lavender Spice | Chaparral Sage Arizona Mountain Laurel: Entire Plant Flower Closeup | Arizona Rosewood Shrubs comprise the largest percentage of the plants found in our portion of the high desert, though they usually have considerable space between them to conserve water. Large expanses of our area are often made up of only 2 or 3 varieties of these plants, some drought-requiring . Even some larger ornamental grasses fit into this catagory. Coming in an array of sizes, textures, and colors, people are finally giving a try to plants other than Photinia, Chamisa, and Russian Sage! Tip: Give shrubs room to grow with appropriate spacing, and base their placement on their having room to reach their ultimate size without pruning, which looks more like butchering most times!

Accents  Common Name  Botanical name    Common Name  Botanical name  Century Plant  Agave americana    Compass Barrel    Havard Agave  Agave havardiana    Spiny Hedgehog Individual Grouping    Mescal Agave Side Top  Agave neomexicana    Giant Hesperaloe    Cabbage Agave  Agave parrasana    Bellflower Hesperaloe    Parry's Agave  Agave parryi    Red Hesperaloe    Artichoke Agave  Agave parryi var. Truncata    Beargrass: Texas    Rough Agave      Beargrass: Arizona, flowering    'Durango Delight' Agave      Beargrass: Arizona    Christmas Cholla      Comanche Prickly Pear    Plateau Cholla      Clockface Prickly Pear    Blue Sotol      Desert Prickly Pear: Individual Fruiting    Green Sotol      Round Prickly Pear    Smooth Sotol      Spineless Prickly Pear    Blue Barrel Cactus      Flapjack Prickly Pear    Many-Headed Barrel      Purple Prickly Pear   | Brownspine Prickly Pear | Tubac Prickly Pear Spanish Bayonet | Harriman's Yucca | Banana Yucca: Individual Grouping in median New Mexico Yucca: Clump in cultivation Clump E of Branson CO Clump N of Folsom NM Pendulous Yucca | Blue Yucca Found commonly on the steep terrian of high desert foothills and escarpments, but rarely on more level land, cacti and succulents are truely incredible signature plants of the southwest. That they are so rarely appreciated locally is still a surprise, even with today's "keep up with the Joneses" landscape mindset. While not only is it a shame that many local landscapes called "xeriscape" contain few native plants, it is even more odd that they are usually deviod of any of these signature plants. The plant prejudices of the majority in the local landscape industry and public aside, these are great plants and deserve creative and widespread use. Small Agaves and Hedgehogs work well in tight spaces and close-up, while the larger Beargrass and Sotol effectively cover larger spaces. Their bold looks create a very exotic mood when used generously, and no one can debate their good looks, in spite of our extremes of heat and drought. Tip: Accent plants look best separated from voluminous plants, such as shrubs and trees, and really look great in repititious masses of one kind accented with flowering ground covers or perennials. When so many "xeriscapes" in our area leave these critical plants out, they are really missing out; like enchiladas without green chile!

Ground Covers + Turfgrass Sunset Hyssop | Yerba Mansa | Golden Spurred Columbine | Desert Marigold Chocolate Flower | Poppy Mallow | Damianita: Grouping Individual | Golden or Policeman's Dalea Feather Dalea | Angelita Daisy | Blackfoot Daisy | Desert Four O'Clock | Bush Muhley Sand Penstemon: All Close | 'Del Rio' Rock Penstemon | Sunset Penstemon Firecracker Penstemon | Pineleaf Penstemon | Canyon Penstemon | Threadleaf Groundsel Desert Globemallow | Scarlet Mint | Prairie Verbena | Gooding's Verbena | California Fuschia Giant Sacaton Turf: Buffalograss Turf-type Tall Fescue This category of plants encompasses a variety of landscape uses, from wildflowers to large ground covers to turfgrass areas. Larger evergreen species are often used to unify the landscape, spreading across the ground often under 3 feet in height. Some are smaller plants that providing seasonal flowering, while fading in color the rest of the year and dying to the ground during the cool season. Smaller varieties are best used in limited areas due to the type of irrigation needed. Some turfgrass varieties, such as Buffalograss or Blue Grama, can often live on natural moisture in the wetter portions of the southwest after establishment. Tip: Avoid using perennials as the structure or main focus in your landscape (they are NOT low-care, low-stress solutions if used alone); instead, use them as color accents around more sculptural elements, such as structural plants and boulders. In nature, they are secondary to the structure provided by small trees and evergreen accents. Plus, why force the smallest plant life forms into doing all the work in your landscape; into tasks far beyond their capabilities?

Revegetation Revegetation: Seeding / Containerized Plant / Temporary Rotor Irrigation Unfortunately, most development and building practices do little to respect the very site features that attracted the project owner in the first place. Revegetation is a way to bring the original plant communities and lay of the land back to such a disturbed site. it involves selection of plant species once native to the site, composition of those species, correct plant spacing, temporary irrigation, and ongoing maintenance and monitoring until plant establishment. It even involves returning the ground plane back to a pre- construction appearance, including soil and aggregate size variations and smaller plant parts. This is NOT the place to leave out plants you don't like or to include non-native plants, nor is it the place to use foreign materials such as gravel or bark. Skillfully performed with a client's budgetary and maintenance commitment, revegetated areas can seamlessly blend into nearby natural areas over time. Tip: Minimize disturbance of grades and vegetation, so you can avoid paying more in the end to properly revegetate and restore the landscape.

Maintenance GOOD PRACTICES: Pruning a young tree, deformed by vandalism: Before After, w/ removed growth After, finished Pruning a youg tree, with good form: Before After | Raking the ground plane: Before After Potted plants for seasonal interest: Annuals for color Succulents Smaller succulents MAINTENANCE MISTAKES: Desert Willow pruned into a low shrub | Photinia pruned unnecessarily in large area Rosette-forming succulents pruned like a grass: Red Hesperaloe Beargrass Sculptural Desert Olive becomes a ball | Silverberry becomes a ball Adding annual plants with nearby xeric plants Vandalism allowed to remain: Toys and clothing items Burnt plants Trash Vehiclular damage Maintenance keeps a landscape environment functioning, healthy, and attractive, whether it is lighting, irrigation, plants, or planting areas. No matter how good the design and installation are, nothing can make or break a landscape faster or more thoroughly than poor maintenance...yet it is all too common. While no landscape is "no-maintenance", a landscape designed for eventual plant sizes requires less maintenance than those that don't. Finding the balance between unkempt or overly-manicured can be tough, but thinking about realistic work versus either paying for too much work or no work is a start. Finding a maintenance person who is competent is tougher, as is countering vandalism or even neglectful maintenance. Keep the end in mind: you want a great-looking landscape you can enjoy that conserves resources, whether water, energy, time, or money. Tips: 1) Prune only to keep or enhance a plant's natural form or to remove an abundance of dead wood. While "shaping" and "pruning" into balls and other forms is appealing to some, it causes rank growth, requires more frequent pruning, higher water use, and often results in plants that look less appealing, have less flowers, and live a shorter lifespan. Some maintenance people unnecessarily do this for job security, and some property owners actually expect to see such acts regardless of proper culture. 2) Do NOT prune off dead foliage ends or any leaves of rosette-forming succulents like Agave, Dasylirion, Hesperaloe, Nolina, or Yucca: those leaves will never grow back...never...and your plants will look like they had a horrible haircut for years. 3) Keep the ground plane clean and ordered, free of major weeds, trash, and debris. But don't expect it to look like your kitchen floor, and don't choose only plants that are litter-free: they don't exist.

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