Monday, March 27, 2017

Watersaver Landscape Tour 2017 Preview

The San Antonio Watersaver Landscape Tour will be held Saturday April 8th and is free and open to the public.  Six yards in the northwest area of the city have been selected for this year's tour.  For those who live in hill country areas this tour is full of ideas and inspiration for gardening on limestone rock.  Last week I was invited to preview the tour and in this post I'll show a few views of each yard to encourage you to go out on the tour and be inspired to save water in your own gardens.  I'll have future posts after the tour with a more detailed look at each garden for those who can't attend.  For more information check the tour website.

Yard #1 is at 8615 Turning Leaf in Fair Oaks Ranch.  An excellent example of how native plants can be used to create a nicely integrated landscape.  This is a gardener's garden so follow the trail around the yard to see a well designed native plant landscape.  This home is in deer country and the homeowner has decided not to fence in her yard though a few plants are caged to help them get established.  It's possible to coexist with deer when you have mostly native plants.  This is where you'll find me helping out as a docent in the afternoon on tour day.


I'd love to find these grasses growing in the rock in my yard.

 
Yard #2 at 8346 Settler's Peak in the Village Green neighborhood shows how to manage a front slope down toward the house.


The home is also in deer country and the homeowner has planted different types of lavender among native shrubs and plenty of drought and deer resistant plants.


Yard #3 at 8339 Wine Cup Hill at literally the high point of the tour features a formal front garden enclosed by a stone wall and roses.


This is the front yard only as the back yard goes straight down the hill.  The front courtyard seating takes advantage of the view.



Yard #4 at 7303 Clear Rock has not a blade of turfgrass front or back but plenty of native and adapted plants to explore along the stone trails in the front.


A backyard entertainment area with pool, gazebo, tropical plants, and seating areas to enjoy.


Yard #5 at 310 Santa Domingo in Sonoma Ranch is a steeply sloping yard.  The homeowners designed it and did all the stone work and planting themselves.


It's a front yard only since there's not much of a backyard here.  Massed plantings demonstrate how to make an impact in a large yard.


Yard #6 Just up the hill at 711 Vegas Rio is beautiful all around with a well designed front yard.


In the back yard you'll see an infinity edge pool, outdoor kitchen, putting green, and outdoor living with big screen TV.  This home backs up to a nature preserve so they enjoy a hill country view from the back terrace.



The Watersaver Landscape Tour is sponsored by San Antonio Water System, San Antonio River Authority and Gardening Volunteers of South Texas to encourage you to conserve water in your landscape.

For more information check the website.  Some of the yards are in gated communities and information on access will be available online before the tour or you can start your tour at Yard #1 at 8613 Turning Leaf to receive a handout with details.

13 comments:

  1. It looks like a fun way to spend a Saturday, Shirley! I'm sure you enjoyed the opportunity to get a preview before the crowds show up.

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    1. I do like seeing the gardens this way. They'd like me to get more involved in these tours so it's their way to motivate me!

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  2. I wish I could grow lavender over this direction---too wet. Man, those houses are gorgeous!

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    1. Lavender is easy here, I used to have some but it dies out over time and needs to be replaced.

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  3. Beautiful landscapes! I wish I was there right now, although we're starting to warm up. One of these years I'm going to make a point to get back to San Antonio for a spring break trip.

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  4. The tour is amazing this year. We're beginning to warm up too. 88 tomorrow!

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  5. Looks like you had fun in the sun previewing these gorgeous gardens. It's still cold as a refrigerator outside here with rain, rain, and more rain so your pictures of sunny and warm gardens are a special delight!

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    1. We're warming up quickly here and daily sunshine is good after all our winter rain.

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  6. The gardens looks though they are right up my street, so to speak. Unfortunately I won't be able to comedown this year but I know it will be a successful tour and people will go away inspired to create a landscape that is not a water guzzler.

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    1. It's a good tour, nice variety and each interesting in its own way. We'll miss seeing you this year.

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  7. It was so nice to meet you today at the nursery, Shirley! I so wish I could attend this tour but I have to work. I look forward to your follow-up posts. Hope to see you again!
    Debbie

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    1. Nice meeting you too Deb! I loved the selection and we'll be back soon I'm sure.

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  8. Tours of gardens (virtual) so different from what we can do in the PNW are a special treat: all the pleasure without the acquisitiveness.

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