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Going Native
Published September 1, 2009
By Conor Harrison
Times Staff Writer
conor.harrison(at)dailytimes.com
Drive around Kerrville these days, and one of the most obvious results of being in Stage 3 water restrictions are the brown and dying yards dotting Kerrville neighborhoods.
For many people, xeriscaped gravel yards don’t make sense — both aesthetically and because the gravel can raise the temperature around a home significantly by reflecting the sun’s rays.
However, a xeriscaped yard can mean lots of things besides a gravel pit.
“The term xeriscape actually means any quality landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment,” according to Dick Peterson, city of Austin xeriscape program coordinator. “The majority of new plants in the landscape should be native or adaptive to the area.”
Kerrville resident and landscaping enthusiast Sharon Walling recently won the city of Kerrville’s watersaver landscaping contest and offered her advice on how to xeriscape a yard and still keep it beautiful.
“If you have lots of trees in your yard, some gravel isn’t bad,” she said. “It will avoid some of the heat if it’s in the shade. I especially like the Mexican White Oak because it is oak wilt resistant, evergreen and grows quickly. You can be creative with it by using cedar mulch, make a dry creek bed with big stones and use crushed granite for color. Incorporate native grasses into the landscape as well as big beds that keeps watering to a minimum. And the rocks will hold moisture.”
For flowers, Walling likes to use Black-eyed Susans, Blackfoot Daisies, Copper Canyon Daisies and Damianita.
“Evergreen is always a big plus, so don’t be afraid to mix it in,” she said.
For an active, healthy landscape, butterflies and other animals like hummingbirds add to the attraction.
Walling recommends plants such as gregg’s mist flower, indigo spires, Jerusalem sage and lavendar lantana.
David Winningham, owner of Natives of Texas Nursery, south of Kerrville, believes xeriscaping and going native have to do with a responsibility for sustainability.
“It’s a social responsibility, in my opinion,” Winningham said. “We can’t overuse our water resource. And that doesn’t mean you can’t have beauty. St. Augustine yards are not sustainable outside of a wet environment. Native plants create a sustainable environment. People are going to have to realize gardening isn’t just planting turf grass.”
Winningham practices what he preaches with a nursery full of native plants that use minimal watering and live well because they have the root system to support living in the dry Hill Country environment.
“They go deep,” he said.
Several local organizations such as the Native Plant Society meet regularly to discuss issues related to xeriscaping and the use of native plants in a water conservation yard plan.
The society meets the first Tuesday of each month at the Riverside Nature Center, according to Walling.
Kerrville resident Dave Tritenbach agrees that a natural approach to landscaping helps draw attention to the area.
“Trees are the ultimate environmental savers,” he said. “They produce oxygen, shade the area below, lower the temperatures and provide habitat for birds and wildlife. And trees on the roadways and in natural yards draws people wanting to walk down the sidewalk. It beautifies our city for tourists.”
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