You know how they say that if you give something long enough it will come back into style? Well on a recent trip to phoenix where we toured through Sun City (a planned neighborhood for retired folks) and we were sort of torn on whether we loved the landscaping in a kitschy, retro way, if we loved it in a it kind of looks modern and sparse and it's got rocks kind of a way or if it just isn't cool at all.
This aesthetic is obviously very desert and you see a lot of it in Palm Springs. It's certainly drought tolerant with cactus and succulents that don't need much water and rocks as ground cover. We like the sparseness of it and think this same equation works great in a container. Perhaps a more modern take on something like this would be some of the work that Big Red Sun is doing now. They incorporate cactus and succulents into small areas as sculptures and use lots of gravel to cover the ground (you can see what we mean here at Steven Alan in Venice).
What do you think, would you rock a version of this in your yard?
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This is very common in the Southwest because there are severe restrictions on the use of water there.
Maintaning a lawn is a gigantic waste of water and other resources, so xeriscaping is the only "Green" way to go.
OMG. That looks like my Grandparent's old house off of Thunderbird Avenue in Sun City. Good memories. There were some great hidden backyard gardens back in the day, and I love some of the garden home designs that Del Webb designed in the late 60s and early 70s. Classics. Just put a yellow Buick Riviera in the driveway!
NO! Not now, not ever! I live in a neighborhood where there are people who have turned their yards into these gravel pits. More times than not it ends up looking terrible. They mistakenly believe that dumping rocks all over means the end of yard maintenance. Weeds still grow, however, and the rocks end up scattered into the street and across walkways. I would also be hesitant to buy a house w/ a rock yard, because removing all of them to lay down grass again would be a nightmare!
I hate these huge rock yards -- I understand the need to conserve water, and in some cases, to have a low-maintenance landscape -- but why not do larger plantings of cacti, succulants, or other drought resistant plants and grasses? These rock yards also make the area around your house really hot and uncomfortable.
I am not a fan either. There really are better ways to landscape with water in mind than just throwing rocks everywhere.
I agree with Erica, more of the drought resistant plants. But no no to the luscious grass landscape. I'm in San Antonio and there's water issues, if people wants a nice green grass, they should just move away to somewhere colder.
You can't have the butter and the butter's money (as French say)
I live in Phoenix. I hate this type of landscaping, it makes me really sad. Like ThreeBySea stated above, people think if they throw a bunch of rocks in their front yard, that's that and they can walk away. Rock yards still grow all sorts of weeds, should be raked, etc and most people put rocks in their yards in the first place because they don't want to do anything else.
I have grass, we rarely water it and it still looks fairly decent. I think that's mostly due to the fact that we have a GIGANTIC willow-type tree in our front yard that puts the grass in shade nearly all day.
Oh well.
P.S. I think it would be awesome if you could showcase some more Southwesty things. (Apartment Therapy Phoenix, perhaps? :) )
I don't care for it but I've spent my whole life in Arizona and want to move away in search for a greener area. Plus, it takes a toll on the water bill to have green grass here. We water our yard 3 times a day to keep it somewhat green throughout summer. We have a cactus garden in my backyard but it's just not that inviting. I'm a fan of laying on the grass or reading a good book under a tree.
It can get even kitschier than that. I grew up in AZ and my grandfather lived in Sun City, and I remember some houses in his neighborhood having green gravel (which I think was supposed to mimic grass). He passed away in '87 and I don't think I've set foot in Sun City since, so I don't know if that's still common.
I kind of like the look of the yard in the photo above, but I'd prefer a more filled-in look for my own yard. And I agree with the person who pointed out that grass-free doesn't mean maintenance-free. (Though this particular yard looks pretty tidy.)
My parents are "snowbirds" that live in Sun City in Phoenix and their yard looks like that. My parents only live in Sun City for half the year and spend the rest of the time in Canada. You have to remember that not only are these retired people that have difficulty maintaining their yards as they get more advanced in age; often times this is their winter home and they're gone for months at a time. The rocks are obviously low maintenance. Also is always around whether it be rocks, grass or garden. After all you can never account for peoples tastes.
Personally it's not a look I go for, but Mom and Dad love it and whatever makes them happy is ok by me.
I've been thru Sun City and what I noticed where the people that used dark grey colored stones to simulate a stream going through their yards. Funny! Those homes typically were newer and larger and had more drought-tolerant plants in their landscape so it didn't look as bare as the photo above.
Sun City is well-maintained. I didn't see weeds creeeping out of anybody's rockscape or rocks on the sidewalks or streets.
I do agree with some other posters that you can't just throw rocks down and walk away. Even drought tolerant plants need water occasionally.
To steal a phrase, it is xeriscaping, not zero-scaping. I request a post providing us with an inspirational xeriscape to offset this rather dismal one. There are so many out there. And one from the Phoenix area - Colorado and other areas have a lot more options.
I agree with mlleErica - there has to be a more lovely way to do it that can help with cooling your house - not just heating the yard around it up with tons of rock.
Jen C, take a look at the desert garden at the Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanic Garden in Pasadena, CA.
http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=494
Ahh, to be a robber baron in late 1800's like Mr. Huntington! It's pretty amazing to see the desert garden when it's in full bloom.
Trees grow in the Valley. I don't have objections to the stones, but trees, and oleander and bouganvilla, and beautiful desert plants can grow here. This is NOT inviting at all.
If you plant native plants, you shouldn't have to water them. After all, the same plants in the wild rely on whatever rain falls. The old joke is if you live up north you subscribe to the Phoenix paper and water your cacti when it rains in Phoenix. I guess now just look up Phoenix on weather.com.
However, I'm not a fan of that type of rock. Is is lava rock? It reminds me of my cousins' house in LA in the 60s. It's such a fake landscape. If the overall landscape were more natural looking, I think it would be very attractive. I've seen rock landscapes, with shrubs and flowers that are really beautiful. One trick is to use a variety of rock sizes, not just gravel.
I live in Tucson, where water is our most expensive utility, and the cost of having a grass lawn is therefore prohibitive. There are a lot of much more creative and visually interesting ways to xeriscape a yard than this one.
there's a fantastic little photo book on Sun City, called....Sun City!
In my book, these houses are great. It is a small bubble of 50-60's part of the history of phoenix. ( I have even seen some bomb shelters in these homes!) I have lived in AZ all of my life and the yards do not get weeds very often out there, as the residents "tell-on" each other to the HOA's. They have nothing better to do... Besides- THE VERY BEST ESTATE SALES are there....
People moved in droves to Sun City from the midwest and left them in these houses to be preserved! i get some wicked stuff!
PS I would LOVE an apt therapy phoenix....
one vote from me!
Horrors! A "lawn" like this will exponentially increase the need for in-house air-conditioning. One can reduce the need for supplemental watering by planting a yard full of native plants.
A rock yard looks perfect if in the right location. This one is. After years of lawn work, I don't blame anyone for taking this easy maintenance route.
i love it! it is (unintentionally) hilarious and stilted in a way i find really endearing. it reminds me of ruth's choked flower arrangements in six feet under.
the first thing i thought of was: MFA-photo thesis project... i'm envisioning a becher-esque study of these sites. mmm.
(p.s.: that said... photo credit on the main image?)
Grew up in West Phoenix and yeah, Sun City is hideous in a way only Del Webb could conceive. Has all the charm of the Japanese internment camp he built during WWII . . .
I think it's kind of unfair to post that pic and then assume that is how most homes in AZ look...even retirement community neighborhoods. I'm from Phx (of course) and my parents have done a beautiful job incorporating native plants into our graveled yards. And anyone who thinks they'd rather have grass in Phx clearly has never a) gotten a water bill in July or b) mowed a lawn in August lol
Good idea - poor execution. Rock gardens should be given thought in much the same way vegetation gardens are. A little variety, texture, walkways, etc. Though kudos to anyone - anywhere - that resists The Lawn.
I like it.
It's better than the front yards with three little cacti desperately trying to look Zen.
This plot is going to be very crowded in four or five years as the organpipe cacti grow much larger. Also, those pincushion cacti need a nurse tree to provide shade! They don't do well in full sun. Giving them a mesquite or an acacia, which can survive on rain, would also help shade the house. I'd also put them into a swale, to collect and keep the rainwater, instead of letting it drain off into the gutters.
Many AZ homes in my sister's community have front yards like this but the backs are then fully cultivated and irrigated: lush with grass and swimming pools, which is a crazy disconnect. It's definitely a specific aesthetic.
Does anyone know a resource for finding estate sale listings in Sun City? I haven't had the best luck with Craigslist.
"Does anyone know a resource for finding estate sale listings in Sun City? I haven't had the best luck with Craigslist."
Estate sales aren't generally on Craigslist.
Try the local papers - Classified ads.
Ashy--if you've got leads for house tour in Phoenix let us know. Right now we in the southwest don't have a 'correspondent' in phoenix, just in Austin and LA (and australia).
try http://www.estatesales.net/estate-sales/AZ.aspx
they list estate sales nationally, so you can search for something near you.