Choosing a new Landscape Design to install

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It is always a tough decision when trying to decide on a new landscape. Do I go with grass? Do I go with rocks? Do I go with grass and rocks? Do I wants plants? Trees? Plants and trees?

If I got with plants, which ones go together? Are certain types of plants bad for grass? What about certain types of trees? How do I water it all when it is done?

These are all really good questions. And all of them have answers, but those answers are based on more questions.

First, have to decide whether you want grass or rock. If you are not sure then you should ask yourself:

• Is maintenance cost a big issue?
• Do I plan on interacting with my landscape?
• By this I do not mean are you going to go out and talk to it, but:
• Do you have children that are young and will play outside?
• Do you have animals that need to go out to use the bathroom?
• Do you enjoy going out into your yard and feeling soft squishy under your feet?
• Is the amount of time required to maintain it an issue?
• Are you naturally drawn to browns or greens?

Lets take these one at a time.

Is maintenance cost a big issue?

Grass Landscape

Grass is costly to maintain. It requires being watered, and since we are talking about Las Vegas weather we are talking a lot of water, every other day going off 3-4 times for 10-15 minutes at a time. Grass needs the occasional nutrients and chemicals such as fertilizer and iron. Grass is susceptible to bug infestations and fungi. Not to mention that you actually have to go out and mow it.

Rock Landscape


Rock on the other hand has a larger up front cost, but ... You don't need to water it, you never have to touch it with a lawn mower, if definitely doesn't need fertilizer of iron. But it does require maintenance. And depending on what you get to compliment the rocks, it can require a lot of maintenance.

Did you know that over the course of time your beautiful rocks become polluted with plant debris that has fallen of your plants, your neighbors plants, and landed in your yard from windy days? When it settles it can lodge itself between rocks securing its position and making it then act as an anchor for other twigs and sticks and leaves.

Trash as well tends to like to accumulate in rock landscapes. Cigarette buttes, cups, candy wrappers. All of this stuff just seems to find its way into your rocks.

During the Summer time Las Vegas rock landscapes tend to really pick up a lot of weeds. If rock yard is picking up overspray from the neighbors yard it will cause weeds to just sprout up left and right and then it becomes a painstaking task to bruise your fingers pushing trough rocks to dig them out.

As to the build up of plant debris about the only way to solve that problem is with a high powered leaf blower, anything else would cause any normal person to go insane.

Do I plan on interacting with my landscape?

If you have children they might want to go outside and play, but if you have a desert landscape then you have to be willing to let them go out and play in the neighborhood, whereas if you have grass in the yard you can restrict them to just playing in the front or the back.

If you have a dog it can go either way. Dogs will tear up a lawn. They will run ruts in the turf, with they urinate they will kill patches of the lawn, they love to dig. But some of this also applies to the rocks. They dig up rocks easier than they dig up grass (but the rocks are definitely easier to kick back) then will actually run ruts in the rocks easier than in the lawn (but again it is easier to kick the rocks back than it is the grass). Dogs will roll around in the grass, and if the sparklers come on then they like to make a huge mess. In heat of Las Vegas summers though, rock landscapes just magnify the heat, if I was a dog, I would much rather lay in some nice cool grass then smoldering hot rocks....

Is the amount of time required to maintain it an issue?

Lawn versus Rock landscapes (keeping in mind this does not take into consideration plants, bushes, and trees). Just a lawn, requires you to mow it on a weekly basis, the hotter it is, the quicker it grows, you have to catch weeds before they have a chance to spread, if not they will start taking over the lawn and replace your nice luscious fescue with sharp pointy crab grass and dandelions. After you mow it, then you have to bust out the weed eater and flattop the edges, then trim the sides, then you have to blow away all the grass clippings.

With a rock landscape you have to pick weeds, pick up trash, and you have to blow. OMG do you have to blow. Sometimes it feels like hours before you are finally done blowing. It doesn't suck .... it blows.

Are you naturally drawn to browns or greens?

I think this is a no brainer. I'll let you decide.

(702) 396-9863