Foothills
Here are three examples of residential properties in foothill locations. The soils can vary from sandy to loamy and may have an alkaline pH. Native plants are suited for these conditions. These clients have chosen to water once weekly, every three weeks, or not at all. We also have to consider that some native plants are food sources for wildlife. We protect young plants until they can withstand some browsing.
YEAR 1
Plants that go in small save money and can develop deeper roots more quickly. Here, we have planted native cactus, firecracker penstemon, broom snakeweed, arrowleaf balsamroot, evening primrose, and sulfur buckwheat.
YEAR 2
Plants have doubled in size and some will bloom, such as the firecracker penstemon and evening primrose.
YEAR 3
With this garden being watered once weekly, plants are blooming, self-propagating, and filling in the space.
YEAR 1
Here is a good example of lawn removal before we started the xeriscape. After, we added some topsoil to create small berms and brought in some ornamental stone.
YEAR 2
Watering started mid-May, every other week. Plants include native buckwheats, globemallow, evening primrose, flax, hotrock penstemon, silver sagebrush, and broom snakeweed.
YEAR 3
This xeriscape will continue to be watered every 3 weeks through the summer. Even though the drip line is visible here, it can easily be buried.
YEAR 1
This hill had erosion problems, so we hydroseeded with native grasses and planted native foothills shrubs: sagebrush, rabbitbrush, bitterbrush. Client's preference was to design so there would be no future supplementary watering.
YEAR 2
Temporary drip lines were installed to help grasses and shrubs through the first summer.
YEAR 3
Drip lines have been removed and plants are really filling in. No more water bill for this garden!
Properties Adjacent to Open Space
Living next to open space can have its own challenges. Homeowners have to be more cognizant of fire-wise plantings, potential challenges with supplemental watering, and possible increased browsing by wildlife. We can re-plant and propagate plants native to the foothills. This process takes patience. Some plants need to be protected for two to three years. These plants can survive without supplemental water (which will save you $) and will beautify the foothills while increasing habitat and food for pollinators.
This could be a helpful link for a Citizen Fuel Reduction program offered by the City of Boise: https://www.adafireadapted.org/homeowner/citizen-fuel-reduction-policy/.
Here are some examples of your gray-green friends in the foothills:
