The below posts caught my attention because I love landscaping. I'm not a master landscaper, heck I can't even identify half the plantings in my yard; I just like them and that's good enough for me. I'm truly at peace when I'm out-of-doors, far from the city noise. As a city dweller, who at present is not venturing far, I make my own outdoor oasis.
Here's a cut/paste of the exchange - almost a comedy sketch:
Subject: Re:Greetings from Salida, Colorado
Topic: Week 1: Introductions
Date: June 21, 2009 2:47 PM
Wow! I need some xeriscape help - I need a flowering bush that doesn't need much water and that will grow up big enough to block the view to my neighbor's back yard - any suggestions? Lorrie
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Hi Lorrie, Depending on where you live, you might try a Butterfly Bush as they flower in different colors and attract butterflies and hummmers. Start out with larger, vibrantly healthy ones from a reputable nursery. I don't have great luck with Wal-Mart but have had success with a well attended Home Depot nursery. They grow "relatively" quickly and attain some good height. You could even make a privacy panel by planting 3-5 in a row and let their branches intermingle as they grow. Butterfly bushes have good spread and bushiness when mature and flowering. Only problem with any flowering bush used for privacy is that they're usually deciduous so
winter privacy is limited.Happy planting! : )Susan
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Lorrie: I do have one butterfly bush now but I didn't realize it could be okay with limited water. It sure has been happier with water!
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Susan: Many plants are happier with water but we do tend to overwater most yard elements, especially trees, and plants then have a hard time adjusting to reduced water schedules. Butterfly bushes are used often in water wise gardening. I've attached a pic from my Santa Fe strolling garden (translate: limited water) of a bb next to a croked birch. Soaker hoses and drip systems, organic soil amendments, right plant-right place, and mulching are all part of water wise gardening as well. As we always tell our learners right up front, xeriscape does not mean no watering! Best of luck. Search the CSU Extension website for more!
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Patrick: We did xeri in the back yard and you're right--it's not just a matter of plant and forget it (which was what I had been hoping for). We've been using the "survival of the fittest" method of selecting plants. We put in a bunch of plants each spring--if they survive they get to stay.
Susan: I know that method and subscribe too. No time for fussy botanicals anymore. : )
Patrick: Some plants are used to being coddled and have no coping skills.I have no use for them.
Tim: I take that one step further. I let the weeds grow. If they produce some semblance of color on the top, they have just become flowers.
Patrick: That still takes some of your attention that could be spent on other things,like twittering Larry King. My wife vetoed my "dream yard" idea. Imagine a big concrete slab over the entire back yard. I call it ZEROscaping. Maintanance free, and you can roller blade on it.
Tim: LOL!! Zeroscaping. That's clever. I'm all for it. Slowly getting there myself.
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With only 168 hrs./week (shout out to Stacy), I've learned the art of when to be a master procrastinator and when to 'getter done.' Besides all work and no play makes Linda a very dull girl. But I literally had to look up 'zeroscaping' and by God, it is a term that is used - I've already bookmarked the two links below.
Thanks to Lorri, Susan, Patrick, and Tim for the diversion - it was much needed.
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