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Young couple with new to them 1970's split level- SA landscaping ideas

southofsa
8 years ago

I'd like to pick the collective GW brains for ideas for a couple I've met through work. They're new to the area and want to tackle landscaping the front of their home but aren't sure where to start. I have some ideas, but I don't have experience growing things in shadier areas.

Here's a couple pictures:


Vital stats:

San Antonio Shavano area

East side of the house

Alkaline soil most likely- rocky in back of the house, but previous owner may have trucked in soil since it's higher than the neighbor's lawns.

Sprinkler system in place, though they would like to stick to plants that can handle the heat with minimal supplemental watering once established. Also nothing that needs a lot of babying- they both work pretty long days at work.

Jasmine and crabgrass cover the lawn now with about 12 inches of Bermudagrass by the street. They want to get rid of the ground cover.

Things they've thought about so far:

Get rid of the two crepe myrtles that are growing into the tree canopy- they don't bloom much and cast a lot of shade. Keep the one farthest to the left.

Get rid of the cedar tree to the right of the garage door opening.

Get rid of the bushes by the foundation.

Get rid of the mountain laurel by the driveway (shown in the first picture).

They like the idea of incorporating the look of a dry creek bed somehow.

I wonder if terracing would be a good idea by the street to prevent water run off?

And finally, any ideas about how to get rid of the groundcover? I like to till and solarize with spot Round Up only if necessary. Tilling would be tricky to avoid damaging the sprinkler system, and I'm not sure there's enough sun on that side to solarize. I'd be nervous about using RU around those trees.

Any and all ideas appreciated- thanks in advance

Lisa



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