1. Too many different plants spread out like polka dots
Often when homeowners begin to design their yard, they get excited by the variety of plants in our Xeriscape Guide. Similarly, going to a well-stocked nursery in the spring can be like going to a candy store — you might say to yourself, ‘I’ll take one of everything!’ However, it’s good advice to resist that urge and instead attempt a more cohesive ensemble of plants and trees. Grouping plants, especially smaller ones or perennials that have less dense forms, can maximize their effect by creating masses of various sizes and contribute to the feeling of a more natural landscape.
In these instances, you can pair plants that have widely different leaf shapes, like the agave and ephedra pictured below. The effect is something you wouldn’t appreciate if there was a large gap between the plants. A lot of flora have distinctive attributes like bark patterns, seedheads, dried flowers or an overall shape that allow them to stand out when accompanied by contrasting plants.
If you’re not sure where to start on your own yard design, check out our landscape templates here. You’ll notice there is a lot of variety in each design, but the same plant symbols appear next to each other throughout the yards. The three landscape architects and designers who contributed these templates have tons of combined experience designing beautiful and sustainable landscapes in New Mexico, and their templates are worth checking out!
Benefits of installing multiple plants of the same variety
- Visual impact: Let’s take a really great flowering perennial like Gaura or whirling butterflies (Oenothera lindheimeri) as an example. It has airy small white (or light pink) flowers less than an inch wide atop thin branches that sway in the breeze — visually it doesn’t stand out unless you’re right in front of it. If you were to plant a single specimen of Gaura in the middle of a yard it could almost disappear. Instead, we suggest a group of three in a triangle or row closer to paths or windows to maximize their impact — just like they’ve done in this photo taken at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center on the West Side.
- Attracting pollinators: Grouping flowering plants that attract pollinators can really make it worth the effort for them to visit. Perennials bloom at different times from spring to fall, and in a small yard you may have only one type of plant flowering at a given time. A group of at least three of the same perennial will be hard for pollinators to miss as they go about their business of collecting pollen and nectar. Then they’ll be able to save their energy for building nests and breeding.
- Reduced maintenance: If you’re new to xeriscaping or gardening, having fewer varieties of plants in groups can make maintaining them (and learning names and growth habits) less overwhelming. Instead of starting out with a mishmash of plants installed everywhere, you’ll be able to get your head around the maintenance more easily because the yard is divided into manageable areas. Also, if you pay someone for yard care, you may need to explain to them when, how (and if) to do the work. A smaller plant palette grouped by variety can help simplify the job. You could say to them: “This year for all the woody evergreen shrubs next to the sidewalk, don’t use hedge trimmers but do remove one-third of the oldest branches at the base.”
So if you head to the nursery to buy 10 plants this spring, consider coming home with just two or three varieties that together will make a real impression.
2. Symmetrical vs. informal plant layout
Another mistake DIYers sometimes make when designing landscapes is opting for a symmetrical layout for the new plants. For instance, they will have corresponding rows of evergreen shrubs on either side of a path as shown below. There are a couple of reasons why this is less than ideal. One is that an unhealthy plant (or worse, one that is dead) is immediately noticeable. Also, in a formal layout, you’re anticipating that the plants will grow to a uniform size and shape. However, this is not the case with native and xeric-adapted plants (and most plants, really). Once in the ground, they’ll be responding to all sorts of different conditions. Too much shade from a nearby tree limits a plant’s mature size, or extra water from the roof causes one to get larger than the others, for example. And if you did need to replace one plant in a formal layout, it could take a while for the new one to catch up to the others (assuming you able to find the same variety as the originals).
In an informal or “naturalistic” layout, a missing plant is not an issue because there’s not an expectation for that space to be filled. It also allows flexibility in the design — shade-loving plants near the tree, plants that can handle more water under the downspout. If a particular plant isn’t doing well, you can transplant it to another location. Using an informal or naturalistic planting design allows you to add to your garden over time as it matures and changes for years to come.
Selecting plants for your yard can feel overwhelming to a new gardener. We hope these tips help you avoid common mistakes, and remember that we're always here to support you. If you have questions about plant selection, feel free to send photos and details of your yard to askanexpert@abcwua.org — we’ll be happy to help.
Learn more here:
Simple Steps to Get Started Designing your Yard
Desert Friendly Design Templates
