We all want to have welcoming, beautiful outdoor areas, and the easier they are to take care of the better. Another dimension is added into our landscape planning when we consider drought resistance, or water conservation. You’ve probably already thought of using native plants. You may have considered paving large areas too, to make them virtually zero-maintenance. But there are more interesting options available! Let’s talk about some unique drought-proof, no-water features that can give your landscape character and beauty.
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Benches or a Seating Area
You might want a bench tucked into a corner, at a pleasant vista, or near an area where people can gather socially. Adding a table makes a comfortable place to relax outdoors for morning coffee, an afternoon game of chess, or cocktails at dusk. While lawn chairs do the job, there is no charm quite like cement, brick, tile, or other sturdy integrated outdoor seating.
Japanese rock garden
A “Zen garden” or “dry garden” is not something to install and forget. Usually the garden requires a collection of a few large rocks, a rake, pebbles, sand, and maybe a bamboo fence or border to contain it. The real value of the Japanese rock garden is in tending to it, the meditative placement of the stones, raking of the sand, and no-water caring for it so it’s clean, organized, and resembles stone islands in a beautiful rippling sea of sand. This type of garden isn’t for everyone, but those who enjoy them get great pleasure from tending them.
Sculpture
Having a sculpture in your garden is a wonderful use of space, because it gives you a focal point, and an object of beauty to admire, which can complement your plantings and bring your personality to the landscape. Art is very subjective and choosing to place art on your landscape can make your home feel much more personal, more catered to your passions and interests.
Playground
For families with children or grandchildren, a playground is a great choice to make the yard fun and drought-friendly. Some classic playground ingredients include a sandbox, swings, teeter totter, hopscotch, tetherball, slides, and jungle gyms. For substrate you can use mulch, clay, sand, or even artificial turf. For a private home it’s usually best to pick between one and three playground features.
Grown-up Games
There are so many community-building and family-friendly games that a yard can host! And a lawn is not needed. There are many games that traditionally take place on clay, sand, or dirt: horseshoe pits, bocce ball, volleyball, tennis, squash, cornhole. There are more than listed here, it really just depends on how much space you have and what you want to play!
For help deciding on and planning the features that would make your landscape the most functional, beautiful, personal, and drought friendly it can be, contact Meadowbrook Design today.