Growing roses

Water-wise lawn replacements 

The photo of this knot garden was taken at the old Desert Demonstration Garden in Las Vegas.  The new gardens, which focus more on native plants, can be seen at Springs Preserve Garden. 

Replacing your lawn 
with a knot garden or maze

We have now seen several small front yards where mazes have been created from carefully trimmed boxwood.  Because the boxwood is kept short, no one will become lost in the front yard and the pattern can be intriguing.   In one, a bloom-ladened rose bush marked the center of the maze.  This formal design, an historic European style, complements the traditional 2 story homes found in many newer communities in the American Southwest.  The second story allows the homeowner to look down and enjoy the pattern.

Korean boxwood (Buxus koreana) is best for a maze in a desert climate.  This slow-grower (which means you don't have to trim it very often) can take both heat and freezing cold temperatures.  It needs regular watering.  English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) does poorly in hot, dry climates and often simply dies in the heat.

Boxwood is also being used to create parterres in some gardens.   These are squares with boxwood used as neatly trimmed edging plants.  In the center of these squares perennials, such as roses, are planted.

A knot garden, another European tradition, is also beginning to emerge as a new design solution for xeriscape front yards.  Many Mediterranean herbs often used in knot gardens, such as lavender, germander and santolina, thrive in desert climates.  None of these herbs are long lived, so within a few years you may have to replace them but in the meantime, you, the bees and butterflies will enjoy them.  And they require much less water than lawn.

For other lawn replacement ideas on the Hot Gardens website, to go

Replacing Your Lawn -- read this for what  NOT to do
Replacing your lawn with pavers
Replacing your lawn with ground cover shrubs
Replacing your lawn with ornamental grasses