Fourth of July Weekend was a bit of a reality check (and even a little scary) for us…

This is a massive tree branch that fell from our front yard tree, due to “summer drop” an event that can commonly occur in hot and drought conditions. We are regulated by the city to water only twice a week, which can cause stress to trees during the hot summer months…Next was this…
A nasty little wildfire that came a bit too close to home, and if the wind had been blowing a different direction, could have easily jumped the river in the 100+ degree heat.

If we had any doubts of losing the lawn in the backyard, they are completely gone now. In fact these events only solidified our love for drought tolerant, water wise gardens. Yet many people equate “water-wise” with dry, cacti, or desert. Yet drought tolerant can be lush and beautiful…

We also love lush and tropical gardens. Luckily you can have both beauty and the tropics with water wise gardens. By planting with palms, grasses, succulents, etc you can find plants that can mimic tropical foliage and flowers. Now let me introduce you to our newest garden editions…

Meet “Juan”, (our Queen Ann palm which was bought for a steal of a deal at $50) and these little cuties…

 
They were part of the Smart Planet plant line at Home Depot, plants specifically tailored for water wise gardens. Now here they are happy in their new home…

 
We also deviated a bit by adding a Bird of paradise, (closest to the palm for the extra water run off), Canas, hardy Agapanthas and Fortnight lilies. 
The Canas, and Kangaroo paw really help bring a unique and the tropical look to the yard. Another great trick to achieving a lush yard, and prevent water loss, is by laying large stones and boulders. In our case we used 2 cubic yards of 6 to 12 inch river cobbles and boulders called Feather rock. (A volcanic rock that looks heavy but is actually very light)

We chose larger rocks and boulders, rather than mulch or smaller stones because it makes for easier yard clean up in the fall. (literally the leaves are so crazy that we use a snow shovel not a rake) Also boulders and rocks are fabulous for deterring pups from napping on the new plants. (Sutter thinks my flax plants make great pillows)
All in all, we hope we inspired you to go water-wise and will be sharing some of the final project pics soon. Happy Sunday everyone!