Followers

Friday, April 22, 2011

This moment: Drive by landscaping gaping

No grass landscaping--these folks are geniuses!
Happy Earth Day!! Every year I'm trying bit by bit to edge our one acre lawn toward becoming a grassless permaculture. (Guilty confession: I buy the plants/bushes/trees, Hubby plants 'em, but don't dare tell him of my diabolical plot to eventually get rid of all the grass!)
   Rosalind Creasy's Edible Landscaping is my ideal. Seriously, if at all interested, visit Creasy's link--incredible pics there!
   With water resources becoming ever more precious, permaculture, edible landscaping and xeriscaping are the sustainable wave of the future. So, when I'm out and about, I snap shots of other folks' lawns in hopes of finding something to incorporate into our own landscaping. I hope to find schemes/layouts to reproduce on our place...with edible plantings woven throughout. Wish me luck!
   Raining, raining, raining here in western Kentucky. What's it like outside your window today??

Thanks to Soulemama for this Friday photo sharing concept. Feel free to leave a link to your moment.
I liked the bright green ring around the tree on the left.
This looked better in person than in the picture...such a variety.
For some reason, this was my favorite--do love the deep, contrasting colors.
Wonder if bushes lower electric bills by insulating the house from sun?
Sadly, landscaping takes work to maintain...this yardscape is going to pot!

10 comments:

Practical Parsimony said...

Slowly, my yard is heading toward no-mow zone. But, that is because the vinca I started is finally taking hold. Plus, 10,000 oak trees think they will be a forest. THEN, overnight, or maybe overwinter, Privet formed a 4"-high thicket that I am trying to pull up. I wanted a lawn I did not have to mow, but this is not exactly what I had in mind.
Bushes over the windows do provide insulation, block fresh air, and provide a place for would-be thieves to hide to do their work. Plus, if the bushes are near the doors, that is cover for someone to accost homeowners entering or exiting the house.

Mayet said...

those lawns are looking so neat.

Dmarie said...

@Practical, that stuff can get away from us! I think those bushes were on a windowless garage wall. Over at One Tonne House they've put little boxes over the windows, said it was done to create a microclimate and save energy. I'm wondering if the same can be done with natural landscaping, but I agree with you about being careful to not block views near doorways. (http://onetonnelife.com/about-the-project/)

Dmarie said...

@Mayet, nice to see you!

MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College said...

Oh such pretty landscaping! I wish I had a yard to plant things in :-)

Jacqui said...

Interesting post. I am always drawn to garden watching - especially on holiday, where I am more interested in what folks are growing then sightseeing. It is very windy here, so good windbreak planting and dwarf varieties are the way to go. I don't think I would ever need to water my lawn :) xx

Dmarie said...

@Meg, when I was your age, I didn't get why anyone would spend money on putting things in their yard! I guess to keep from getting bored, I've changed a lot of my thinking through the years.
@Barefoot, we never water the lawn ourselves, but I still think of grass as a thirsty planting. I figure plants/tree/shrubs with lots of mulch will weather a severe drought better than grass. ??

Rachael @ The Variegated Life said...

Lovely yards. I spend much time (enviously) admiring (some of) the landscaping in my part of the world — a little-known part of Brooklyn known as Victorian Flatbush or, more recently, Ditmas Park. Think big, old Victorian homes. I don't know how many of the folks who live in those homes are thinking, as you are, of more sustainable landscaping, alas.

singlemama said...

hi dmarie, thanks for sharing this thing about edible landscaping. :-)

Lindy Mint said...

Around here I'm envious of some of the yards that are 100% desert wild flowers. Although, I seem to notice them only in the spring when everything is in bloom, and don't know what they look like the rest of the year.

Thanks for sharing your landscape gaping!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...