Commercial Xeriscaping

 

Plants for commercial properties need to look tidy and be tough. Here are two examples.

 
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This was an exciting opportunity to experiment with espaliering native hackberry trees. The clients wanted shade for the southern side of this building, yet we had a very narrow bed to work with. The native hackberry, which grows right up in the foo…

This was an exciting opportunity to experiment with espaliering native hackberry trees. The clients wanted shade for the southern side of this building, yet we had a very narrow bed to work in. The native hackberry, which grows in the foothills, needs only the rainfall that we receive, so it's super tough! The above picture shows the trees filled in, providing valuable shade in the summer. In winter, they drop their leaves and let the sun warm the building.

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Project begins...

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Second year

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Present

 

We had to treat this design as a rooftop garden because the depth of the beds was only ten inches. Trees previously planted in these beds had damaged the concrete, so we could only use perennials in the re-design. The use of vines compensates visually for the absence of the height of the trees.

 
 
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These containers have plants in them that only need weekly watering, even though they are very exposed and surrounded by concrete.