I met with the landscaper last week and we walked the property, trying to visualize the house and its relation to the lot and my neighbors. Of course, the landscaper, being wise, is leaving Taos for two months - it not being a good time to dig in the ground.
As one reference (Plants for Natural) Gardens states so well, "...sites that are difficult to garden conventionally due to limited water, unstable soils, drainage problems and harsh exposures." I seem to have these.
Meanwhile, I'm am starting to come up with a list of landscaping needs:
- Provide a visual screen from the neighboring house. They don't have many windows facing me, but I have a lot of windows facing them.
- Provide shade for my south-facing patio, which will become unbearably hot in the summer without some protection
- Create a visual screen for my big west-facing garage wall. This will be very hot in summer, and presents a blank wall to people coming along the road.
- Attract wildlife - especially birds, but also bees, earthworms, butterflies, rabbits, and coyotes
- Help shelter my property from stronger (average 9 mph, with peaks 40-60 mph) WNW winds which come in April, May, and June - otherwise from the NNE (average 5 mph Dec). However the seasonal differences are not sharp, per WeatherSpark.
- Have an informal appearance
- Require only moderate maintenance. I am willing to pull weeds, add mulch, cut off dead blossoms, rake leaves, and prune some.
- Be tolerant of the alkaline soil that is largely clay, so does not drain well.
- Provide shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer and early autumn
- Fit into the neighborhood. This one is difficult, because many of the houses are not yet landscaped. But the native plants should be a strong guide here.
I am willing to do the following:
- As I mentioned, prune, pull weeds, rake leaves, mulch, and cut off dead blossoms
- Compost food waste and garden trimmings
- Wait until plants get established and grow. I don't need to plant mature specimens.
- Import a huge volume of compost. It might take as much as 200 cubic yards.
- Pick or screen rocks out of the soil. There are a lot of rocks.
- Irrigate for a year or two until plants are established.
- Put up with pocket gophers
I plan to do the following:
- Collect rainwater and store up to 600 gallons for irrigation (but that is only 20 gallons per day between rainstorms)
- Divert greywater - but the volume seems very small
- Avoid a lot of exotic plants
I don't really like:
- beauty bark - it doesn't decompose fast enough for me
- lawn
Also meanwhile, I have been working on lists of Trees for Taos and Shrubs for Taos. I used several sources for these, including the following:
- Denver Water: Xeriscape Plant Guide, Fulcrum Publishing, 1996
- Judith Phillips: Plants for Natural Gardens, Santa Fe, 1995
- New Mexico Flora, Patrick Alexander, photos of 2,000 taxa
- Riparian Plants of New Mexico, by Baker, Stavast, Allred, UM State U.
- Web Soil Survey Detailed local conditions and limitations
I should be able to post a site plan soon.
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