yard transformation

YARD TRANSFORMATION
thats what im doing now
yard transformation

over a year ago i started volunteering for the habitat of humanity helping
build houses
at the end of the construction the day before the house is to be dedicated
a large group of volunteers would come in and do the landscape

now this was done on a limited budget
real limited budget
and not always xerically done

i helped with 3 houses but then i couldnt stand it as i sat back and
watched the landscaping being done

so i approached the head of the construction and said
i would like to take over doing the landscaping for the houses
i explained i wanted to do it as organic and as xeric as possible

it is at times difficult but so far its been successful

it has helped that area landscaping companies have donated or
reduced prices for the landscape materials and that
people we know have donated trees shrubs sod etc
thanks to you guys that helps a lot

more would be appreciated

the newest house im doing is representing somewhat of a challenge

this house is a repocession by the bank and then the bank turned
around and gave it to habitat for humanity
it had not been lived in for 3 years
it will need a lot of work inside and out
when its finished it will look like a new house
we hope the landscape will match the house

first those trees in the back ground are called paper mulberry
dont ever ever ever plant them in your yard
this back yard was a forest of these mulberry trees
this picture was after we spent all day removing 90% of them
resulting in two large brush piles in the front yard
we plan on removing almost all of the remaining ones

these mulberries spread by seeds especially those from birds that
eat them
they also spread by the roots that grow underground then shoot up
several feet away
you cant hardly get rid of them unless you dig it up and use stuff
i usually dont like to use to kill them roots
it will be a long term battle for the home owner

its interesting there are a lot of other shrubs planted on the property
that are all texas native plants but they are all planted wrong

here in the front they planted 9 texas sages (purple sage) and 8
dwarf youpon hollys but they bunched them all together and have
them on the north side of the house
all this has stunted these beautiful native texas sages

i plan to replant all of them and spread them out over the lot so they
are planted in the right areas based on light and location on the
property
not under the roof edge where it cant be grown

i will also spread out the dwarf youpon hollys in the front and back
the spacing is based on how big they will get in a few years

then we will make a lot of the beds in the front larger and larger using
mulch (mulch is cheaper than grass) to eliminate a lot of the front
yard
you dont have to pay to water mulch since you dont water mulch
water is getting more scarce around here every year
we hope to eliminate 30-40% of the grass in the front

in the back yard we found  under all the paper mulberry canopy
a fig tree a peach tree and a plum tree
all which may now grow to their full potential now and produce fruit for the
new homeowner

then there is confederate jasmine and lantana that we will transplant to
an appropriate spot

there a lot of roses also that were tucked away in the deep shade
those will be transferred to areas on the fences so they can
grow and produce a large amount of rose blooms

there also is a spot that we will put in either a square foot garden or
a keyhole like garden if the homeowner wishes it

so we will transform this yard
by using a lot of labor
using a lot of mulch
moving plants to the right spots
without much cost

the good thing is that once these plants are established
there is no care or upkeep
no trimming required
even if you dont water them they survive our central texas weather
ok with neglect


if you live in the leander area
you can go by 600 sioux trail and follow this transformation
over the next 2-3 months

also if you ever have a native plant you dig up and need a new
home for it let me know and ill use it in one of our projects

the organicgreen doctor