More of the Front Yard - 2007

All the trees, bushes, and shrubs in this picture (excluding the fence line, which are the neighbors’ hedge plants) are drip irrigated on a single valve circuit, and doing very well. This picture also has a clearer view of the small, healthy, green lawn strip adequately watered by the closely-spaced old Champion heads. Even with careful adjustment and pressure regulation, there is enough coverage variance on these old heads that some water gets on the driveway, hence some of the inter-concrete turf strips in the driveway are green (much to my maintenance dismay). This is also a highly representative shot of just how messed up that semicircle lawn has become.

Years ago we had had enough of attempting to keep a lawn growing under the park strip city-maintained oak tree: between the scattering of acorns and rude should-be-shot dog owners allowing their pooches to defecate there and not picking it up, we decided for a win-win-win-win-win change: a desert cactus and other succulents garden!

Win: uncomfortable for Fido, so s/he will dump elsewhere.
Win: does not look too bad when piled with twigs, acorns, and shells.
Win: consumes vastly less water than turf (and the oak’s deep roots have access to ground water).
Win: much lower maintenance than turf: maintenance even i can handle properly.
Win: easy for strangers to find our house.

Back yard, part 1…