Want your opinion on my landscaping design.

[lindismith]

It looks really beautiful, but as a Pigg, I really have to warn you about the on-going water cost to this design in terms of your water bill.

Definitely make sure you use as little grass as possible, make sure all the plants are natives so they are climate-appropriate in terms of water use, and make sure your surfaces are previous, so when it does rain, water gets soaked into the ground, and doesn’t run into your pool.

These people do native-landscapes. http://www.argiadesigns.com/

If you’re set on your designer, that’s cool, but make sure he uses natives. If you google “nifty-fifty plants” you can get a list of beautiful native flowering trees, shrubs etc.

And, think of the money you’ll save on your water bill. Water rates are only going up in the coming years. It is estimated that 1/2 of water bills are due to landscapes, so I really encourage you to figure out if you can cut back.

[UCGal]

[quote=lindismith]And, think of the money you’ll save on your water bill. Water rates are only going up in the coming years. It is estimated that 1/2 of water bills are due to landscapes, so I really encourage you to figure out if you can cut back.[/quote]

I agree with you, lindismith. But I heard from a person at the SD Water authority that 70% of potable water is used for irrigation. Since our water bills are tiered – the more you use, the higher rates… So if you cut your irrigation bills in half, you could save more than half of your bill.

I googled nifty fifty plants and found this great resource
http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/pdf/Nifty50.pdf

Thanks for the suggestion, lindismith.

[UCGal]

[quote=lindismith]And, think of the money you’ll save on your water bill. Water rates are only going up in the coming years. It is estimated that 1/2 of water bills are due to landscapes, so I really encourage you to figure out if you can cut back.[/quote]

I agree with you, lindismith. But I heard from a person at the SD Water authority that 70% of potable water is used for irrigation. Since our water bills are tiered – the more you use, the higher rates… So if you cut your irrigation bills in half, you could save more than half of your bill.

I googled nifty fifty plants and found this great resource
http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/pdf/Nifty50.pdf

Thanks for the suggestion, lindismith.

[UCGal]

[quote=lindismith]And, think of the money you’ll save on your water bill. Water rates are only going up in the coming years. It is estimated that 1/2 of water bills are due to landscapes, so I really encourage you to figure out if you can cut back.[/quote]

I agree with you, lindismith. But I heard from a person at the SD Water authority that 70% of potable water is used for irrigation. Since our water bills are tiered – the more you use, the higher rates… So if you cut your irrigation bills in half, you could save more than half of your bill.

I googled nifty fifty plants and found this great resource
http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/pdf/Nifty50.pdf

Thanks for the suggestion, lindismith.

[UCGal]

[quote=lindismith]And, think of the money you’ll save on your water bill. Water rates are only going up in the coming years. It is estimated that 1/2 of water bills are due to landscapes, so I really encourage you to figure out if you can cut back.[/quote]

I agree with you, lindismith. But I heard from a person at the SD Water authority that 70% of potable water is used for irrigation. Since our water bills are tiered – the more you use, the higher rates… So if you cut your irrigation bills in half, you could save more than half of your bill.

I googled nifty fifty plants and found this great resource
http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/pdf/Nifty50.pdf

Thanks for the suggestion, lindismith.

[UCGal]

[quote=lindismith]And, think of the money you’ll save on your water bill. Water rates are only going up in the coming years. It is estimated that 1/2 of water bills are due to landscapes, so I really encourage you to figure out if you can cut back.[/quote]

I agree with you, lindismith. But I heard from a person at the SD Water authority that 70% of potable water is used for irrigation. Since our water bills are tiered – the more you use, the higher rates… So if you cut your irrigation bills in half, you could save more than half of your bill.

I googled nifty fifty plants and found this great resource
http://www.20gallonchallenge.com/pdf/Nifty50.pdf

Thanks for the suggestion, lindismith.

[Aecetia]

TG-
Whatever you decide, I would not recommend the phoenix robellini palms. They require a lot of care and they have nasty thorns. There is a Chilean Wine palm (Jubaea chilensis) that looks nice and is self- cleaning, but you cannot make wine out of the sap without killing it and they are protected in Chile, so where are you going to get it?

The larger palms in my yard over 40′ tall now are queens, there is a King and then I have some potted Dypsis lutescens (Golden cane palm, Butterfly palm). These do pretty well and all have survived one freeze although I did cover it during a bad freeze when it was smaller. I also have a Clustered Fishtail Palm Caryota mitis, but the fruit is poisonous and it does not like direct sun. They look great in a pot, real exotic and you sometimes see them used inside if you have a good light source in the house.

There are a lot of palms out there, but you need to look into the growth habit before buying because of some of the issues discussed above. I think most of the palms should be watered and fed regularly, most are tropical or semi- tropical and do not thrive in inland temperatures without good care.

[Aecetia]

TG-
Whatever you decide, I would not recommend the phoenix robellini palms. They require a lot of care and they have nasty thorns. There is a Chilean Wine palm (Jubaea chilensis) that looks nice and is self- cleaning, but you cannot make wine out of the sap without killing it and they are protected in Chile, so where are you going to get it?

The larger palms in my yard over 40′ tall now are queens, there is a King and then I have some potted Dypsis lutescens (Golden cane palm, Butterfly palm). These do pretty well and all have survived one freeze although I did cover it during a bad freeze when it was smaller. I also have a Clustered Fishtail Palm Caryota mitis, but the fruit is poisonous and it does not like direct sun. They look great in a pot, real exotic and you sometimes see them used inside if you have a good light source in the house.

There are a lot of palms out there, but you need to look into the growth habit before buying because of some of the issues discussed above. I think most of the palms should be watered and fed regularly, most are tropical or semi- tropical and do not thrive in inland temperatures without good care.

[Aecetia]

TG-
Whatever you decide, I would not recommend the phoenix robellini palms. They require a lot of care and they have nasty thorns. There is a Chilean Wine palm (Jubaea chilensis) that looks nice and is self- cleaning, but you cannot make wine out of the sap without killing it and they are protected in Chile, so where are you going to get it?

The larger palms in my yard over 40′ tall now are queens, there is a King and then I have some potted Dypsis lutescens (Golden cane palm, Butterfly palm). These do pretty well and all have survived one freeze although I did cover it during a bad freeze when it was smaller. I also have a Clustered Fishtail Palm Caryota mitis, but the fruit is poisonous and it does not like direct sun. They look great in a pot, real exotic and you sometimes see them used inside if you have a good light source in the house.

There are a lot of palms out there, but you need to look into the growth habit before buying because of some of the issues discussed above. I think most of the palms should be watered and fed regularly, most are tropical or semi- tropical and do not thrive in inland temperatures without good care.

[Aecetia]

TG-
Whatever you decide, I would not recommend the phoenix robellini palms. They require a lot of care and they have nasty thorns. There is a Chilean Wine palm (Jubaea chilensis) that looks nice and is self- cleaning, but you cannot make wine out of the sap without killing it and they are protected in Chile, so where are you going to get it?

The larger palms in my yard over 40′ tall now are queens, there is a King and then I have some potted Dypsis lutescens (Golden cane palm, Butterfly palm). These do pretty well and all have survived one freeze although I did cover it during a bad freeze when it was smaller. I also have a Clustered Fishtail Palm Caryota mitis, but the fruit is poisonous and it does not like direct sun. They look great in a pot, real exotic and you sometimes see them used inside if you have a good light source in the house.

There are a lot of palms out there, but you need to look into the growth habit before buying because of some of the issues discussed above. I think most of the palms should be watered and fed regularly, most are tropical or semi- tropical and do not thrive in inland temperatures without good care.

[Aecetia]

TG-
Whatever you decide, I would not recommend the phoenix robellini palms. They require a lot of care and they have nasty thorns. There is a Chilean Wine palm (Jubaea chilensis) that looks nice and is self- cleaning, but you cannot make wine out of the sap without killing it and they are protected in Chile, so where are you going to get it?

The larger palms in my yard over 40′ tall now are queens, there is a King and then I have some potted Dypsis lutescens (Golden cane palm, Butterfly palm). These do pretty well and all have survived one freeze although I did cover it during a bad freeze when it was smaller. I also have a Clustered Fishtail Palm Caryota mitis, but the fruit is poisonous and it does not like direct sun. They look great in a pot, real exotic and you sometimes see them used inside if you have a good light source in the house.

There are a lot of palms out there, but you need to look into the growth habit before buying because of some of the issues discussed above. I think most of the palms should be watered and fed regularly, most are tropical or semi- tropical and do not thrive in inland temperatures without good care.

[george]

[quote=lindismith] make sure all the plants are natives so they are climate-appropriate in terms of water use,

If you’re set on your designer, that’s cool, but make sure he uses natives. [/quote]

Using native only plants is fine, but not at all necessary if you want drought tolerant plants. There is a multitude of plants from South Africa, Australia and other Mediterranian climates that are widely available and appropriate for water conservation.

[george]

[quote=lindismith] make sure all the plants are natives so they are climate-appropriate in terms of water use,

If you’re set on your designer, that’s cool, but make sure he uses natives. [/quote]

Using native only plants is fine, but not at all necessary if you want drought tolerant plants. There is a multitude of plants from South Africa, Australia and other Mediterranian climates that are widely available and appropriate for water conservation.

[george]

[quote=lindismith] make sure all the plants are natives so they are climate-appropriate in terms of water use,

If you’re set on your designer, that’s cool, but make sure he uses natives. [/quote]

Using native only plants is fine, but not at all necessary if you want drought tolerant plants. There is a multitude of plants from South Africa, Australia and other Mediterranian climates that are widely available and appropriate for water conservation.

[george]

[quote=lindismith] make sure all the plants are natives so they are climate-appropriate in terms of water use,

If you’re set on your designer, that’s cool, but make sure he uses natives. [/quote]

Using native only plants is fine, but not at all necessary if you want drought tolerant plants. There is a multitude of plants from South Africa, Australia and other Mediterranian climates that are widely available and appropriate for water conservation.

[Author]

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