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Green Garden, Central Texas StyleGreen Gardens come in many styles. They range rom cottage gardens ull o colorto soothing Zen gardens, to hot cactus rock gardens. Each o these styles can becreated using a plant palette tailored to the unique conditions o the Central Texasarea, and more specically, to the conditions in your own yard. An array o nativeand adapted plants makes a Green Garden a beautiul, earth-riendly landscape tharefects the character o our local environment, and gives your yard and your community a distinct sense o place.

In addition, Green Gardens require less water and are less prone to insect and disease problems and the need or chemical maintenance. Less chemical input reducepollution in our creeks and streams. By creating a Green Garden, you are helpingto protect Austins environment one yard at a time.

The purpose o this actsheet is to provide back-ground inormation oncreating a green garden oreither the do-it-yourselero or those working with alandscape proessional

Benefits of aGreen Garden: Reduce water usage

Reduce the need forpesticides and ertilizers

Lower the overall impacton the surroundingenvironment

Provide wildlife habitat

Preserve the look andeel o Central Texas

Steps to a GreenGarden: Analyze conditions in

your yard

Start with a plan

Plant trees tocreate shade

Incorporate techniquesto keep water onthe land

Select tough plants

Choose a style or design thatappeals to you (clockwise romop let): The structural elegance

o sun-loving xeric plants or thebright colors o a cottage garden,a tailored ormal yard or an

nnovative rain garden.

earth-wise guide toearth-wise guide to

Landscape

Design

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Planning is......the evaluation o what youalready have in your landscape,and the creation o a clearroad map to what you wouldlike to achieve. Begin with theend in mind!

Lifestyle - Think about how you useyour yard now, and how you wouldlike to use it in the uture, so youcan design with those needs in mind.Lawns can demand signicant mainte-nance (time, chemicals and water), sominimize tur areas when possible

Current Conditions - Evaluatethe current conditions in youryard...where are the sun and shade?

What views would you like to hide orenhance? How can you accommodatedicult conditions such as steep slopes,deer, problem soils or poor drainage?

Seasons - Take into account the di-erent seasons. For example, manylandscapes look great in spring, butlack winter interest. Once identi-ed, this problem is easily correctedby adding a ew interesting structuralplants or evergreens

Budget- Realize that landscapingcan be costly. As a rough estimate,allow or a budget o $3-5 persquare oot to be landscaped i youare doing the work yoursel. Thencreate a budgetary timeline orcompletion o your project

Timing - Implement your plan inthe ollowing sequence:

- Install hardscapes (sidewalks, paths,

edges, etc.) and underground irri-gation system i desired. Installinghardscapes ater planting endangersplants that are already in the ground

- Create beds beore planting tur

- Plant trees and shrubs

- Install beds according to your ownpriorities complete them in theorder that is most satisying to you

Taking photos may help you to betteranalyze your current conditions. Use trpaper over a beore photo to outlineing eatures and then pencil in new plaand beds. Incorporate plants o diere

heights, structures and textures to addaesthetic interest.2

Optional Plan LayoutsThe Details:

The Look:

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Gutter downspouts

Direct downspouts to eithera) vegetated areas rather than pave-ment to allow water to soak in ratherthan run o orb) underground to a rain garden

Rainwater Harvesting

By directing rootop gutters to a rainbarrel, you can then use the collectedrainwater on areas o the land that mostneed water.

Swaleor Dry Creekbed

Installing a stone or grassed channel thatdirects rainwater to an area o the yardwhere it can be better absorbed.

Reminder: When you changeyour landscape design, rememberto change your sprinkler systemas well!

KEEP WATER ON THE LANDWith increased population growth and smallerots, much o our land is being covered withroadways, rootops, parking lots and sidewalksthat do not let water soak into the soil. Thisdecreases basefow (the constant fow in acreek) while increasing the chances o food-ng and streambank erosion. The result is

that many creeks have excessive fow duringheavy rains and dry up shortly aterwards.

You can help both our waterways andyour drainage problems by incorporat-ng some greenscape techniques intoyour landscape plans.

Berm

This could be a mound o earthor a low stone wall. It is typicallyat the bottom o a slope to helpretain water or prevent erosion.

ab

Soils

At least 4 inches (and ideally 6-8 inches)o organic topsoil should be added to helpkeep nutrients and water on the land.

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Porous Pavement

An alternative to asphalt, porous materi-als contain voids to encourage water toinltrate the land. Some options includebark mulch, gravel, pervious concrete, pastones and tumbled glass.

Your Lawn As a Filter

Grass slows down water fow andallows inltration. Lawn does best in aarea that is nearly level and should nobe treated with chemicals in order toreduce the potential or water pollutio

Rain Gardens

These gardens are designed to catch and strainall or short periods o time and then out; they can be lled with attractive plantand oten help solve drainage issues in theyard. For details on rain garden design andplant choices, see the ollowing page and vi

www.growgreen.org/plants.htm.

Trees

Plant disease-resistant natives to

promote water retention, improve airquality, provide shade and habitat.

Illustration adapted from theFamily Handyman, April 2007

Obedient PlantBig Muhly Greggs Mistower

Slope priorto garden

Blend excavated soilwith sand or mulch

Mound oexcavated soil

Cross Section: Rain Garden

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1.The original yard had atypical suburban look asingle row o shrubs nearthe house and a large areao St. Augustine grass.

2rnap

Ai

5.The fnished product a green garden withtextural and seasonal

variety or all to enjoy!

Transition is......the logical and efcient

way to convert your yard

to a green garden. For more

inormation look or the

Grow Green Installation and

Maintenace act sheet

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Augustine wasd donated to anriched soil wasaintain healthiero conserve water. system would bethis time.

3.Walkways and land-scape beds were installedto set the ramework orthe yard.

4.Trees and plantswere placed to anticipate

growth and shade

Step-by-Step TransitionStep-by-Step Transitio

Think you havea beautifulGreen Garden?

Apply or an award atwww.ci.austin.tx.us/greengarden/downloads/awgg_orm.pdor look or an application at a Grow Green nursery.

GRE EN

GARDENProtecting Austin's Environment

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Design is..... the arrangement o plant andstructural elements to satisyyour landscape plan

e graph paper to draw up your design,d choose a scale o 1 inch =10 eet0 little squares per inch on your paper).is scale is good or many residential sizeojects, and using graph paper acilitatese placing o plants when you are readyinstallation

onsider the ollowing in your design:

Plant Choice and Placement

- See the Grow Green Native anAdapted Landscape Plant Guideplants that thrive in central TexCopies are available at all GrowGreen nurseries or online atwww.growgreen.org

- Even native and well-adapted pcan have diering water and drage requirements. Choose maidrought-tolerant plants, and grthem with others o similar ne

- I you select a ew more waterneedy plants, group them togetand close to a source o water

- Put the right plant in the right - shade-loving plants in the shaand sun-loving plants in the su

- Pay careful attention to plantspacing. Even the tiniest acorngrows into a mighty oak. Plantyoung plants according to theiadult space requirements tominimize crowding, pest anddisease problems

- Design your yard to create mo

shade. It is an excellent way toon water and cooling costs thrthe summer months

Proportion - keep the size o yourplants proportional to the house andenvironment around you, i.e., smallerplants or smaller spaces, larger plants

or larger spaces

Variation in height - an interestingdesign has a variety o plant heights,rom groundcover underoot to vinesand trees overhead

Combination of evergreen anddeciduous plants- having only ever-green plants creates a static, unchang-ing landscape, yet deciduous plantsoten have no winter appeal. Use acombination o both

Plant texture - coarse-texturedplants have large sturdy leaves thatstand still and silent; ne-texturedplants have eathery leaves that dance

in the wind. Use a combination oradded interest

Seasonal interest - choose plantsor interest in each season structure, berries and bark orwinter, fowers and oliage or theother seasons

Foliage color - i fowers arentseason it is possible to have a coul landscape using plants with dient oliage color

Plants to Avoid-Avoid invasive plants that escape rom yards to take over natural areas.They choke out native species and upset the balance o the surrounding ecosystem. For a list o earthwise plants, look or a copy o the Grow Green Native and Adapted Landscape Plant Guide,

or check the web at www.growgreen.org

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KEEP DIRT AND MULCH OUT OF THE

STORM DRAIN!Soil is one o our most common pollutants. Bare dirtcan erode during rainall and travel to our creeks, cloggingwaterways, damaging sh gills and carrying chemicals with it.

Solutions:

Plant or mulch any bare soil

Stabilize eroded areas as needed

Install erosion controls if you are doing constructionor landscaping projects

Caution: I you mulch a sloped area, make sure to containany loose materials with edging so a heavy rain doesnt washit away.

Become a Backyard HabitatAustin is one o Americas rst Wildlie Habitat Communities!

Learn how to certiy your yard by visiting the

National Wildlie Foundation website at

www.nw.org/backyard/

www.growgreen.org

854-9600

974-2550

For a landscape design template that fts yoneeds and style, visit www.growgreen.org a

click on Landscape Design!

Greggs MistfowerAlternative: BrazosPenstemon

Big MuhlyAlternative:Indian Grass

Black-eyed SuAlternative: River

Fall Obedient PlantAlternative: Spring Obedient P

Frog FruitAlternative: Horseherb

Gul Muhlylternative:

nland Sea Oats

Central TexasRain Garden

Plants