It would seem that this forum is destined for an early retirement, given the recent activity level. In the hopes of reviving it somewhat (all you folks who wanted the new forum ... still there?) I am asking that you share a couple of pictures of whatever type of xeriscape it is you have or visit or like, tell a brief story about it, share what makes a particular situation unique. Anyone interested?
These 2 pictures are from our local park. The situation there is pretty rough in terms of soil (arroyo bed, almost all sand) and we only get 10 inches of rain in a good year, which is all the plants get to survive (no irrigation), so I think the plant choice is actually kind of important. These pictures are just slices of the action but they shed some light on that. Winter is when they look their best so naturally that's when I take pictures.
First shot shows a bed of mostly Aeoniums in the foreground (plus aloe in bloom) with an agave and a native shrub in the background.
The Aeoniums are practical here because they're winter growers and winter is when we get most of our rain. They sort of shrivel in the summer, but come back in late fall. The aloe they are overwhelming at the moment is a hybrid of two very tough, drought resistant plants (with reliable flowers every year during our rainy season). The agave is a form of tequilana, the species used to make tequila, and it actually grows better without irrigation than with it, unless regular depupping and spiny giantism is what you're after. Behind it, and overwhelming it at the moment, is this native shrub, which is not a small plant, but can be reduced where necessary.
Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina)
This shot was taken from a different angle further back and shows the field in the distance.
The aloe with the fruit is a tree, with time. Long lived, super drought tolerant species, without a fixed flowering season, which is kind of nice because that means it sometimes flowers when none of the other aloes do. Toward the back you get a pretty decent variety of Aeoniums showing differences in color and size. At the time this garden was installed several years ago, there were also some giant Aeoniums in the mix, but they flowered and died in short order. Such is the nature of the beast.
The only maintenance this garden needs is seasonal weeding and deadheading once a year. No watering, no mulching, no pruning. It's mostly on autopilot, which is basically the goal as far as landscaping a public space without access to water. The plants pictured are all ideally suitable for the winter-rainfall climate of southern California, especially the mild coastal areas where most of the human population is concentrated.
