Lifestyle Landscaping

1. Lifestyle Landscaping Landscape Choices For Your Home Featuring Arid, Semi-Arid and Lush & Efficient Landscape Styles

2. What is Lifestyle Landscaping? • There are several factors to consider when choosing the landscape style for your home: • Low Water Use - Desert friendly landscapes are the key to maintaining the beauty of the desert while conserving its most valuable resource - water. • Function - Play area for pets and kids? Having barbecues? Watching birds & butterflies?

3. What is Lifestyle Landscaping? • Maintenance - Would you rather relax in your garden or work in it? • Aesthetic Appeal - Flowers, dramatic plant forms, birds and butterflies – what makes you say “oooh!” • Backyard Wildlife Habitat - Backyard habitats are vital to local wildlife who have lost habitat to building and development throughout the Coachella Valley. Learn about desert ecology in your own back yard!

4. Lifestyle Landscapes: Arid • Semi-Arid • Lush & Efficient • Arid – slow growth, dramatic plant forms, big flowers, low water use, very low maintenance • Semi-Arid – slow to moderate growth, dramatic plant forms, colorful flowers, low to moderate water use, low to some maintenance • Lush & Efficient – faster growth, colorful plants, some turf area for recreation, moderate to high water use, moderate to high maintenance

5. Arid • Low to no maintenance • Slower growing, low water use plants • Often uses decorative rock or mulch • May provide year round colors and blooms • Interesting plant forms and textures • Uses only 1/3 the water a turf lawn would use

6. Semi-Arid • Low maintenance • Often uses decorative rock or mulch • May include limited turf for entertainment or kids & pets play area • Mix of low and medium water use plants • Uses only about half the water that a turf lawn would use

7. Lush & Efficient • Higher maintenance • May include limited turf for entertainment or kids & pets play area • May incorporate areas of faster growing, medium to high water use plants • Maintenance of irrigation system is a must • Uses about 2/3 the water that a turf lawn would use

8. Turf Lawn • Very high maintenance • Turf often turns brown in hot summer temps even when watered regularly • Turf does not fit the warm, beautiful desert look or ecology • Maintenance of irrigation system is a must • Uses about 3 times the water that a desert friendly landscape uses - higher water bills The beautiful desert landscape below uses only about 1/3 the water that a turf lawn uses, requires less maintenance than turf and provides much needed habitat for native wildlife.

9. Beautiful Desert Landscapes MSWD’s Water Efficient Demonstration Garden (shown at left) is open to the public to visit anytime. The Garden is located at 66575 Second St. in Desert Hot Springs and admission is free.

10. Beautiful Desert Landscapes Hot Springs Park (shown at left) features a path with signs explaining the hydro-geological makeup of the area. The path and fountain area showcase beautiful desert landscaping. The Hot Springs Park fountain is at the corner of Palm Dr. & 8th St. in Desert Hot Springs, CA.

11. For more information and resources on desert friendly landscaping, visit www.mswd.org. Visit local parks and nature preserves to see which plants and flowers grow naturally in your climate. Many of these may be incorporated into your desert garden. Many cacti and succulents have large, gorgeous blooms, and may send out several blooms at once.