Invest in Stone Walkways
By investing in stone walkways or stairs, you can highlight your xeriscape plants superbly. Stone walkways and stairs serve as transitional areas, so it's a great place to go from xeriscaped plants to a nice grassy area. You can use decorative stones, gravel, landscape rock, or concrete to really highlight the contrast.
Accent A Stairway
Many homes and businesses have stairs leading up to their entrances. By adding in xeriscaped plants along the side, you can create a beautiful, low-entrance space that accents your entrances and exits perfectly. Another interesting twist is to make the stairs out of stepping stones, gravel, or other rocky material.
Add in Boulders
Boulders are beautiful by their very nature. When you use them as part of your landscaping, they can make your space vibrant, interesting, and unique. Boulders also help the soil to retain its moisture by providing shade during the day. Also, if you are looking to grow plants that thrive in the shade, you can plant them close to boulders and add visual appeal as well to your xeriscape landscaping. Some of these types of plants, such as creeping thyme, creeping phlox, and bell flowers will even grow over rocks, adding even more aesthetically-pleasing elements to your xeriscaping.
Consider Mediterranean Plants
Mediterranean plants love xeriscaped landscaping since their native environments in Italy, France, or Spain provides plenty of sun and sandy soils. Herbs are popular Mediterranean plants, such as lavender, rosemary, and thyme, and can be used in your food preparation as well. Lavender grows well in xeriscaped yards, and the scent is one of the most popular for aromatherapy because of its calming effect. Lavender is a great plant to invest in near your outdoor seating area as you can come home from work and relax naturally and effectively in your backyard.
Consider Perennials for Pollinators
Most of us love flowers and love to smell flowers. Flowers can instantly calm us down and soothe us. There are many flowers that are well-suited to xeriscaping, including echinacea, coreopsis, and dianthus. Other types of plants fall into this category as well, such as hummingbird mint, lemon balm, and flowering perennials. Honey bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love these plants. You can also plant Cambridge Scarlet or Raspberry Wine plants that grow well in sunny, well-drained spots. Plus, due to their vibrant color, you can use them to mix up your xeriscaping and add in pops of color when needed.
Consider Mulch
Mulch is a great way to add aesthetic value to your xeriscaping and help retain moisture, thereby saving on water use. It also helps to keep the weeds down as well. Pine bark mulch, although it decays quickly, is beautiful and the decay enriches the soil for your xeriscaping plants to enjoy, grow, and thrive for the following year.
