When these homeowners moved in, the garden consisted of a dying lawn and a few plants The ground under the lawn was calcified due to lack of watering. wasn't - and still isn't - a sprinkler system.
The homeowners decided the best way to manage the front yard was to eliminate most of the lawn and create planter boxes filled mostly with succulents from cuttings, flowers and herbs. They wanted a garden that looked unusual, attracted benificial insects, was fragrant and low maintenance. They had no desire to water or spend much money.
They created the planters with tree limbs. The flower seeds are organic, no hybrids. They gather seeds for all vegetables, herbs and flowers at the end of the growing season for the next year, spending only about $10 a year on new seeds.
They've never used any pesticides. Benificial insects keep the bugs away and biodegradable dish soap in a spray bottle keeps out unwelcome pests. They water perhaps once a week in the summer, never in the winter.
They have a compost pile and turn the soil with it as needed.
