It takes several years for perennials and shrubs to get established and even more for trees, all of which will
make your outdoor living space much less hot, dry and dusty, so you might as well start now. Charming outdoor spaces significantly increase both the curbside appeal of your house and the resale value and you are not going to achieve that without some kind of established garden. With proper xeric plant and tree selections, the amounts of water your yard will use is only a small percentage of your overall household water usage.
With proper planning you will never have to let your plants die, because you can be using all water that is not from the city tap. The most obvious way to start this is by harvesting your rain water. Rain barrels are a start, and that water can be used manually. Cisterns are getting more popular, and are not as complicated to install and connect to your irrigation system as you might think. Our landscapers and irrigation specialists have been working with cisterns and irrigation for many years. Right now 10,000 gallon cisterns all over the Santa Fe area are full and refilling with every major storm and cistern owners are happily irrigating away. Even if it doesn’t rain, a cistern will give you the means to buy water for your garden from sources other than the city of Santa Fe.
Of course, the main reason to install a garden and landscaping at you house is that you will greatly enjoy it, each and every day.
McCumber Fine Garden is a full service Santa Fe landscaping company which designs, installs and maintains all sizes drought tolerant gardens, stonescapes, irrigation and water harvesting systems. Call Kendall at 660-9599 for a consultation.
by Kendall McCumber