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Peggy Chesson wanted to bring a little of West Texas to her southwest Austin home. |
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Her first
task was to cut down and/or remove limbs from many
of the 30 trees that blanketed her front yard in
order to provide light for the sun-loving cactus
and yuccas. The next task was to kill the grass
and weeds in her new beds. She said her neighbors
were quite patient as she solarized (see the Grow
Green Landscaping
Fact Sheet for info) -- her beds for weeks at a
time. |
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The heat-attracting
crushed granite mulch suit the new cactus and succulents
that fill the large beds. |
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The Cedar
Sage and Lady Banksia roses add splashes of spring
color to the landscape. |
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During dry spells a little hand-watering supplements the rainwater collected in the two front yard rain barrels, but in general the rain barrels which collect water from the rooftop are rarely empty. |
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The least water-consuming tree on the property is the bottle tree created for Peggy by a welder friend!! |
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This sidewalk
strip never needs water or mowing. |
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She particularly likes specimen plants
for their unique characteristics. Some favorites are the
tall desert plant which leafs out after a rain, then dies
back till the next rainfall, the small, blooming barrel
cactus, the curved cousin to the prickly pear cactus,
and finally the Ocotillo which will have a deep rose-colored
flowers later in the season. Peggy loves the wide variety
of plants in her landscape especially since almost all
them were gifts, each with a memory about the friend or
neighbor who gave it to her.
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