Xeriscape garden
Xeriscape aims to use plants that require the natural sunlight and rainfall of a region. Truthfully, here that would be yucca, candlestick cactus and rabbit brush. But with a little water ($20-30/mo. in the summer) you can have a beautiful garden.
This was my first drystack wall. One can get a permit from BLM and haul your own stone for domestic purposes. It costs $15/ton and you have 9 days per permit (up to 5 permits I think it is...)
Water-wise gardens are part of sustainability in arid regions.
This was my first drystack wall. One can get a permit from BLM and haul your own stone for domestic purposes. It costs $15/ton and you have 9 days per permit (up to 5 permits I think it is...)
Water-wise gardens are part of sustainability in arid regions.
Garden before and after (see the brick wall on the right replaced eventually w/cob bench)


Big boulders were purchased from neighbor who brought them in with a forklift.
I took down the chainlink fence so a truck could deliver 15 tons of topsoil.
I took down the chainlink fence so a truck could deliver 15 tons of topsoil.

I'd had a difficult time coming up with a design. I finally figured it out during a talk while waiting for my student to present.
Here is the layout with the first few plants in place.
Here is the layout with the first few plants in place.

The first season was so pretty. I had a drip irrigation system that worked great.