Too Much Rain?

Burroughs Landscaping discusses higher than normal rainfall this year.

If you are a duck, Texas Hill Country has been the place to be this spring and summer. Unusual for this part of the country, rainfall has continued to exceed normal amounts. Storm after storm has left record amounts of water in areas we are not used to seeing. What happened to droughts? We should not complain, as we will soon be back to drought conditions. Consider this if beginning to landscape your yard.

Burroughs Landscaping suggests considering if you really need grass. New grass may take off and grow for a month or so. When August arrives in a couple of months, then next summer rolls around dry as normal, you do not want to be saddled with excessive time and money spent watering unneeded grass.

If you decide you do need at least some grass, carefully consider just how much you actually need. Burroughs Landscaping specializes in choices that are low maintenance as well as cost efficient in the long run. 

Consider gardens to beautify your yards. A tree or yucca makes a great vertical component. Creeping ground covers offer texture while ornamental grasses provide movement. Agave and cacti give structure and patches of wildflowers add color. Keeping as much natural as possible can be amazing with less maintenance, time and money!

Contact Burroughs Landscaping for information on beautiful alternatives to grass this summer.

Burroughs Landscaping offers outstanding service and innovative ideas with landscaping tailored to Xeriscaping in Hill Country Texas. The experienced team enjoys landscaping in Kerrville, Hunt, Ingram, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Bandera, Comfort, San Antonio and Mountain Home. Burroughs works with home owners, builders and general contractors and considers the location, topography, aesthetics and aspirations of each client.

Rock and Stone ~ Beautiful and Low Maintenance

Landscaping with rock and stone to accompany plants and trees, or to use as stand-alone elements can be a refreshing way to add texture, color, and interest to your lawn in Hill Country, Texas. With common drought conditions, this is a great low maintenance, permanent, attractive solution.

There is a difference between stone and rock. Technically a stone has been exposed to weather or water near the earth's surface for a long period of time, while rocks come freshly broken from a larger mass below ground, most typically by blasting them out at a quarry.

Stonescapes need not be enormous. Planters and large containers that combine attractive stones with succulents are always stunning. Use specimen stones to reflect light from solar lanterns on your deck or patio.

Stone can have a strong unifying influence on the landscape year-round, a powerful and practical element in any scene. Take time to envision what you want the area to look like in two to three years, mindful that the stone will become visually dominant in winter. Ideally, you want to create scenes in which you cannot tell which came first, the garden or the stone. It should look and feel as if the stone emerged from the ground, and all you did was collect the best pieces and put them in order, as humans have been doing for thousands of years. Landscaping with stone and rock can make your lawn or patio a beautiful creation. 

So if you are ready to dress up your lawn or patio, let Burroughs Landscaping help you make your visions and ideas come true.

By Peggy Cunningham

Backyard Makeover

If you are looking for suitable ideas for landscaping your yard, here are some great ideas. Most of the plants on this list are tolerant of the alkaline soils and drought conditions typical to the Hill Country. This will help you grow healthy plants, trees, and shrubs. Make your lawn as beautiful as you want it to be.

Select plants suited to your particular growing conditions (soil type, amount of moisture, and amount of sun or shade.)

• The optimal season for planting trees and shrubs is late autumn through early winter.
• Plant wildflower seeds September through November.
• Thoroughly water plants during the first year and during periods of drought.
• Trees need to be watered regularly for 2 years and when they become stressed during drought.
• Mulching will reduce weeds and watering frequency.
• Protect all plants from deer.
• No plant is deer-proof!

Remember Burroughs Landscaping can help you with all you lawn and landscaping needs.