North Central Austin Edition | July 2024

Real estate

BY ANNA DEARDORFF

Yaupon Holly, Mexican marigold and silver pony foot plants are incorporated next to washed river gravel and Oklahoma stepping stones in a backyard, with a re pit in the center.

COURTESY CARLOS GOMEZ

COURTESY AUSTIN GARDENERS

Local expert explains xeriscaping benets With the summer heat kicking in and Texas cities facing droughts, homeowners have turned to an alternative landscaping model: xeriscaping. The landscape incorporates native Texas plants, gravel and drought-resistant greenery. Community Impact interviewed Austin Gardeners Project Manager Carlos Gomez, who oers insight as to why many Austinites are leaning more toward the environmentally friendly landscaping model. How is xeriscaping dierent from other landscapes, and is it popular among customers? What makes xeriscaping dierent from other landscape options is the consciousness that goes

behind the drought that we’re going through right now, and making it [a] more sustainable landscape, more water ecient and then preserving native plants. What are some of your favorite native Texas plants to use for xeriscaping? Agave is going to be a [desert] plant that is going to be able to withstand almost any type of weather. A lot of the ornamental grasses are going to be perennials, which means in the winter, they kind of die back, you cut them back, and they come back in the spring. When you pair them together, they have a really good contrast between the colors and the dierent textures. Explain the maintenance required for xeriscaping. Obviously, you don’t have to be mowing as much. The main thing that is going to be crucial

for keeping the xeriscape pristine is as soon as you see a weed, remove it. ... A lot of clients think that after we install the materials, they don’t have to do anything at all. There’s no such thing. Xeriscaping often leads to lower utility bills. Is its installation more expensive than other landscaping models? The price between installing ... grass and a xeri- scape is going to be fairly similar. What’s going to dene the cost is going to be the number of plants we use [and] the types of materials. You have gravels that are going to be $50 per yard, and you have gravels that are going to be $500 per yard.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com .

NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION