[nmnita]

Originally Posted by David A Stone

One of the reasons I moved to the Ozarks of Arkansas rather than the deserts of New Mexico or Arizona was to see ....green....
lois different, but the last thing I would want is to turn my lawn into one resembling a desert climate and spend extra $$$$$$$$$$ to make it look like a desert.

David, i totally agree: I realize rock is more economical and saves on water, but we too love AR for its beauty and yes, the green everything. We did what we did in NM because the grass was nothing but weeds and the area was pretty small, plus the shortage of water in NM added to our reasoning. We did have some beautiful desert flowers and plants.Here in AR our daughter has all rock in her lot where her home is, but also lots of trees and flowering plants. The lot next door which they own is typical AR. They have the best of both worlds.

[Sarahsez]

I've seen some yards rocked with river rock in the Eureka Springs area several years ago. I didn't care for the look because it was out of place with the surrounding environment. I do like xeriscaping. I think for it to work in a place with a lot of green, you probably still have to have a significant amount of plants, but not grass. I'm thinking along the lines of maybe some native trees and bushes and stone paths and boulders with a few low maintenance plants tucked in here and there for interest.

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by Sarahsez

I I think for it to work in a place with a lot of green, you probably still have to have a significant amount of plants, but not grass. I'm thinking along the lines of maybe some native trees and bushes and stone paths and boulders with a few low maintenance plants tucked in here and there for interest.

Yes, that's the look we had in TX and what we're aiming for here in NWA. Not desert at all - in fact, more indigenous plants than you'll see in most green lawn landscapes. We select native seasonal trees and shrubs (both flowering and non-flowering) for year-round beauty. We're able to fully utilize both shade and sun loving plants.
We've found that not having a lawn enables us to focus on other plants. Instead of watering, fertilizing, and mowing a lawn, we tend to our individual plants and groupings. It gives us room to experiment and get rid of what doesn't thrive - something that's hard to do with a grass lawn!