WaterSaver newsletter
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Back to Issue Archive
Spanish Splendor
By Dana Nichols

Spanish-style courtyards are typically designed as outdoor living spaces where you can relax and entertain.

This year's landscape trend is tailor-made for San Antonio's semi-arid climate, and we couldn't be happier. Influenced by Roman and Moorish civilizations, Spanish-style courtyards and gardens are ideal for creating outdoor rooms for entertaining or relaxing.

Spanish courtyards typically feature a spacious hardscape area, a central fountain, bird bath or basin of water, container plants and limited planting areas. Although patio and courtyard walls can be an investment, once in place they are simple to maintain.

There are lots of trees and plants that thrive here and give you a Spanish courtyard feel. Here are a few options you could incorporate into your design.

  • Trees — wild olive, live oak, citrus, mesquite, crepe myrtle
  • Shrubs — Knock Out roses, coral bean, esperanza, palms, bottle brush, pride of Barbados, pomegranate
  • Cactus and succulents — sedums, spineless prickly pear, red yucca, agaves
  • Tropical perennials for large containershibiscus (moy grande), bougainvillea, geraniums
  • Creeping and filler plantsmoss rose, rosemary, and herbs of all kinds
  • Vines and weaving plantscrossvine, confederate jasmine, trumpet vine, wisteria

If you're on the fence about creating a Spanish courtyard in your landscape, SAWS has an incentive for you: the WaterSaver Landscape Rebate. For starters, it rewards you for limiting your landscape to less than 50 percent turf (buffalo, zoysia and Bermuda varieties only).

Dana Nichols is the outdoor conservation manager for San Antonio Water System.

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Monday, Feb. 8, 2010
0 in. Bermuda (Full Sun)
0 in. Buffalo (Full Sun)
0 in. St. Augustine (Full Sun)
0 in. St. Augustine (Shade)
0 in. Zoysia (Full Sun)
0 in. Zoysia (Shade)
Use these amounts to water before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. Remember, it's winter. For a healthy lawn, water no more than twice a month, or less if you have drought tolerant grass.
Remarks:
The rain continues! All controllers should be off until further notice. Mark A. Peterson, SAWS Conservation Project Coordinator.

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Ask A Garden Geek
How do I identify the weeds in my lawn?
Ah, do you mean those naturally occurring, soil enhancing, drought-tolerant, pest-free forbs? One man's weed is another man's freedom from worry. To identify your weeds, I recommend consulting the book Plants for Texas by Howard Garrett, the
Texas AgriLife Extension,
or a TNLA Certified Landscape Professional.
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E-mail your question to GardenGeek@saws.org

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In San Antonio's semi-arid climate, water conservation is a normal part of everyday life. Saving water also saves you money. Not only by lowering your bill today, but by decreasing the need for more expensive water supplies in the future.
Good Gardening Tip
Love Your Landscape
If you haven't already converted your lawn to an expanded bed or some form of hardscape, now is the time to aerate and compost it. The combination of aeration and compost increases the fertility, structure, and water-holding capacity of your soil, for a healthier, greener lawn.
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Wildlife Watch
Fowl Play
Plenty of songbirds are still in the area including finches, cardinals and wrens. Keep your feeders well stocked with a variety of nutritious seed. Most importantly, don’t prune perennial flowers and shrubs down to the ground just yet. These provide food and shelter for our feathered friends.
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Event Calendar
Chocolate Day
Feb. 13, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
San Antonio
Botanical Garden
555 Funston Place
Indulge your appetite for knowledge about everyone's favorite botanical treat—chocolate! See a real cacao tree, sample chocolate treats, and learn about the botany and history of chocolate. Admission fees vary.
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Questions or comments? We would love to hear from you! Contact us at conserve@saws.org