Before you roll out a patch of green grass in your new yard or turn on the sprinklers yet again to water a guzzling lawn, consider an alternative: xeriscaping, a more creative and sustainable way to design your landscaping.
From the Greek term xēros, meaning “dry,” xeriscaping involves designing natural spaces in the interest of conserving water. Traditionally a solution to landscaping in drought-prone areas, a xeriscaped yard doesn’t have grass turf, eliminating the heavy watering and precise maintenance often required for large stretches of grass. Features of a xeriscaped lawn include a variety of beautiful, intricate plant life—like cacti, trees, and shrubs—and inorganic matter like stones and gravel.
While this concept was intended to give homeowners in desert climates creative freedom to design yards unfit for grass, xeriscaping is for just about anyone! Some enjoy the Southwestern appeal of cacti and desert shrubs, but people in rainy climates may prefer xeriscaping with oak trees, floral plants, and luscious vines.
There’s only one rule of xeriscaping: replacing a water-demanding grass lawn with pebbles, rocks, or another ground cover like creeping juniper. You can even incorporate less water-demanding grasses like monkey grass and pampas grass in small quantities, sprinkling them between native floral shrubs or trees.
Ultimately, the aim is to conserve water, not replicate a desert design scheme. Given that water conservation is an increasing concern in just about every region of the country, it’s no surprise that interest in xeriscaping is growing. After all, maintaining an expansive grass lawn is incredibly demanding. The EPA estimates that the average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day, and more than 30 percent of that occurs outdoors. Transforming your yard with xeriscaping techniques can save tremendous amounts of water—and lower your bills.
Some may feel that xeriscaping is too adventurous or nontraditional. However, expansive grass lawns have only been a fixture of American homes since the 1950s, when a growing cultural interest in golf and the birth of suburban neighborhoods inspired a new trend: imitating bright-green, perfectly trimmed golf courses at home. If grass doesn’t naturally flourish in your region of the country, you may want to save money and reduce your impact with a xeriscaped lawn.
To join this yard-design movement, start by planting native foliage, which has evolved to handle seasonal rigors, periods of drought and rain, and other qualities of your local climate. You can contact a xeriscaping-focused landscaper in your area for a native drought-resistant plant guide or even to request their design services.
Whether you plant it yourself or hire some help, your xeriscaped yard should end up being so low maintenance that it needs very little watering at all. As nature takes its course, your plant life will flourish. There’s no need to worry about fixing brown patches, mowing overgrown grass, aerating soil, or managing any of the other annoyances that have too long seemed to be requirements of American yard maintenance.
Xeriscaping is nature forward and may offer far more design freedom than a grass lawn does. While many landscaping companies typically use shrubs, flowers, and trees to border extensive fields of empty grass, xeriscaping welcomes immense creativity. Plant rows of vibrant bushes where nothing but plain grass may have been, and layer this look with contrasting stones and pebbles.
To inspire a natural aesthetic, visit a nature center or wilderness trail near your home, take photos of Mother Nature’s work, and then replicate the look on your property. For elegant inspiration, look to a historically popular xeriscape style such as a Japanese zen garden filled with white sand and small, smooth river rocks or a European garden featuring pea gravel, dense shrubs, and ivy-covered stones.
The best way to maximize your water-saving efficiency is to arrange plants in your yard by drought tolerance so you can water them in groups based on need. If you’re designing to achieve a natural look, group ones of varying heights and compatible colors together, like light-green lamb’s ear shrubs, pink-tinted autumn joy flowers, and a tall yucca plant with deep-green leaves and a tan bark.
You can also incorporate hardscapes—outdoor features like walkways, retaining walls, and firepits—into your xeriscape for visual balance. However, your design approach should differ from those with grass lawns. While a stone walkway through a sea of green grass will form a nice contrast, you won’t get the same effect by installing stone amid gravel or pebble ground cover. Instead, use offsetting colors and shades to make each element stand out. For example, if you want to install a paver patio in your xeriscaped yard, pair ground filler like black river rocks with off-white stone pavers. Your eye will immediately zero in on this welcoming space.
Ultimately, the joys of xeriscaping lie not only in its environmental benefits but also in its style potential. Unleash your creativity as you welcome native plants, hardscapes, and water-saving features for something unlike the typical grass lawn: a yard that is distinct and eco-friendly.
To find your climate region and get local plant-care advice, visit almanac.com
Fresh and bright is the name of the game when it comes to summer cooking. And with fruits and vegetables abounding this time of year, why not make produce the main attraction in your dishes? This double dose of recipes does just that!
You can’t go wrong with this light pasta meal, which brings an array of vegetables together for an explosion of flavor.
Delightfully cool, this tart is filled with a creamy custard and topped with an abundance of colorful fruits.
Serves 4
Serves 6–8
Tip: Feel free to swap the fruit for your favorites or for what’s in season where you live.
Nicole Hurd of Hurd Homes in Jupiter, Florida, details how she designed an oceanfront condo in nearby Juno Beach to serve as a comfortable oasis for a couple’s combined families.
How would you describe your studio’s work?
We focus on neutral and natural interiors, creating for each client a timeless palette with natural textures that reflects our coastal Florida environment. A home is an investment; we want our clients to be able to switch out a pillow and not feel like the whole design has gone wrong.
What influenced you to pursue interior design?
I originally worked for a Fortune 500 company and spent ten years in commercial brand design and marketing. Eventually, I moved back to Jupiter, my hometown. After I renovated my home, I decided I wanted to contribute what I learned from both of those experiences to my community.
Tell us about the Juno Beach project:
This condo is a vacation home and beach retreat for my clients. Like many of my customers, they’re snowbirds who fly south for winter—they’re here for maybe four or five months of the year. They each have children from separate marriages and purchased this condo to be close to the beach and entertain friends and family.
What were the project’s main objectives?
The first goal was to create a relaxing getaway, so we brought in some coastal art, including the one over the sofa that depicts a pool. Our second aim was to create multifunctional spaces that would be comfortable for either our clients alone or numerous guests. We made specific choices based on that, such as placing a custom-made console table in the living room that could double as a desk for working from home. Ottomans throughout the space also provide flexible seating.
How did you make the space more functional?
Since sand will likely get tracked in from the beach, we chose durable items like leather ottomans, indoor-outdoor rugs, and performance fabrics. We put long-lasting rugs in the living room, master bedroom, and secondary bedroom because they’re great for kids and dogs and are washable; the dirt comes out easily with a quick spray of detergent.
What inspired the design of the living room?
I wanted it to feel relaxed and inviting with room for play and fun. It has two gray swivel chairs and an off-white ivory sofa with a built-in chaise lounge on one side; the chairs and sofa are covered in durable, easy-to-clean fabric. The coffee table is very cool—it is square and accented with beach reeds that bring in wood tones. We kept the window treatments minimal so we could preserve the view of the ocean and offer indoor-outdoor living.
Tell us about your colorful design choices in the bedrooms:
The color palette for the condo is primarily whites, blues, and greens with rattan. But we wanted each bedroom to have its own personality, so we added extra blues and greens to them, such as on the walls, furniture, and bedding.
The secondary bedroom has a bunk bed, which was a great find since we didn’t have the budget to do a built-in one. It’s made of a solid alderwood and has a queen bed on the bottom and a twin on top; we gave it olive bedding to complement the sage walls. We also added two art pieces to the room, one that says “No Wake Zone” and another that reads “On Beach Time.” We had those customized to make them beach specific. The rug, a denim-colored shag indoor-outdoor piece, is great for kids because it’s soft to play on and hides dirt very well.
We kept the main bedroom more minimal, painting it Sherwin-Williams Tradewind blue, and carried the blue palette into the bed’s linen duvet cover and throw pillows and the dresser’s blue linen fabric. The bed itself is made from rattan to contribute to the beach feeling. We brought in ivory nightstands accented with bronze for elegance and hung pendant lights to leave their surfaces clear, then added a small desk so more than one person could work from home. The rug is woven wool, so it’s durable.
What was your strategy for the balcony?
It’s a relatively small outdoor space, but it’s right off the ocean. It’s also accessible from the living room and main bedroom, so my clients spend a lot of time out there. To make it feel light and airy, we incorporated smaller, space-saving furniture that can easily be rearranged.
How did you coordinate this project with your out-of-town clients?
We did everything remotely and collaborated over Zoom for our presentations, selection reviews, and design decisions. The project completed with an installation and photo shoot over three busy days, during which we thought our paths would eventually cross.
Unfortunately, though, our schedules didn’t line up. This was the first time my collaboration with clients was completely remote. But they trusted me to make good choices and were very happy with the results.
For more info, visit hurdhomesdesign.com
Sunlight does more for your home than warm you with natural light—it can impact your heating and cooling costs, your indoor comfort, your furniture, and how well you sleep. In fact, sunlight may have been a factor in how your home was built. Many architects and home developers consider orientation, or the cardinal direction a home faces, when making choices about windows, skylights, and more. If you’re shopping for or even building a new home, orientation is a crucial feature to consider. Here is how sunlight affects different homes based on their exposure.
Because the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, north-facing homes get less direct natural light, making this the most sunlight-proof orientation. Since sunlight heats buildings, facing north minimizes direct indoor beams and therefore lowers your potential cooling costs. If you live in a hot climate or are concerned about sun damage to your furniture and decor, find a north-facing home if possible.
However, such homes do experience certain challenges due to said minimal sun exposure. In winter, icicles, slippery sidewalks, and snow accumulation can be a problem for those in cold climates. And because they cast more shade on the front lawn, you may need to select low-light plants, like ferns and hydrangeas, for your foundation and front porch.
South-facing homes tend to get the most consistent sunlight throughout the day as the sun passes from east to west. Many homebuyers seek them out for their pleasant natural light and views. However, these homes also absorb more radiant heat—the heat from infrared sunlight. This can make winters warmer but lead to higher cooling costs in summer.
If you’re building a new home, install a sunlight-resistant, insulating material like stucco or brick on its south side, if not the whole structure. Many home builders lay inexpensive wood or vinyl siding on walls that are less visible from the curb to save money. South-facing homes also receive less backyard sunlight, so you’ll have plenty of shade for outdoor entertaining. Should you wish to enjoy a pool or edible plant garden, though, this may be a challenge if you own a south-facing home.
Given that the sun rises in the east, homes facing this direction will enjoy pleasant morning sunlight. Then, once the sun is high in the sky, the front lawn and facade will enjoy softer indirect light.
Install curtains or blinds in bedrooms that get eastern exposure unless you want bright sunlight to wake you up at dawn. You could also plant trees or large shrubs near these windows for natural shade. However, breakfast nooks, kitchens, and home offices that face east may feel more energizing when they receive direct morning sun.
Homes oriented west only receive direct sunlight come midafternoon, so bedrooms with west-facing windows will experience less troublesome morning light. Conversely, the living room or den will likely receive the most direct light; this means more heat and a bright, irritating glare in these rooms, where you may spend the latter part of the day.
Install treatments like blinds and drapes over west-facing windows so you can relax in the evening without having to shade your eyes indoors. But you may enjoy some late sunset views in a west-facing dining room for a romantic ambience.
If you’re shopping for a home, consider how orientation can affect your daily life and utility costs. You can even request to view options that face the cardinal direction that appeals to you the most.
