A Spectacular Spring

Turn Your Arid Yard Into an Oasis

5 February 2021 by Terri Holmes

If you live in a dry area of the country, you may have a dream of turning your yard into an oasis of lush grass and flowers to provide a relaxing outdoor living space and attract wildlife such as pollinators. Here are some ways that landscape designers can take an arid yard and turn it into a thriving oasis.

Irrigation

The first step when creating an oasis is to just add water. Your landscape designers can determine which areas of the yard will need sprinklers installed and which landscape beds will need drip irrigation, then install any buried lines and get the irrigation system up and running. 

Soil amendments

In some cases, your yard may not grow much because the entire yard is too rocky or the soil is simply exhausted of nutrients. Your landscape designer can check the soil and even test it to see what it needs to allow plants to thrive again. Your yard may need compost or manure added, for instance.

Water Features

A fountain or pond can do more than provide a trendy feature in your yard. It can also:

• Provide water for local pollinators and other wildlife 
• Make a soothing sound
• Increase the humidity in the immediate area via evaporation

If you want your water feature to provide a water source for pollinators, make sure you don't add any chemicals (such as mosquito control chemicals) that could harm bees and other beneficial insects.

Lush, water-loving plants

Once you have plenty of water installed and some water features up and running, it's time to add lush plants. Your landscape designers may add water plants to any large enough water features, and your lawn may need new grass seed (or turf) added.

Next, you can fill your landscape beds with lush flowering and foliage plants. Work with your landscape designers to choose plants that will thrive in your climate and provide plenty of flowers for the local pollinators.

Outdoor living areas

Your beautiful landscaping isn't just for the pollinators, though; you want to be able to enjoy it yourself as often as possible. So talk to your landscape designer about where you can place lounge chairs and an outdoor eating area, or maybe even a picnic table. A sun umbrella so you can enjoy your garden even on excessively sunny days is also a great idea.

These basics can help you transform a bare, scrubby yard into an amazing spot filled with greenery and life. Contact local landscape designers like Estate Landscape to learn more.

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