Yard Plans
When it rains, maybe if it rains, the water that falls onto our roof channels into six canales that drop the water onto the ground. It feels like we could do better. One of my first “calls” after purchasing this place was to Raincatcher to see if we could get some infrastructure in place to catch the run-off. A couple of weeks ago we received a first draft of a plan to not only harvest the rainwater off the roof and store it in an underground cistern, but also landscape the back yard and slow the passage of water through our property via a system of zuni bowls. (Below: plans for our yard. Everything in color would be either new or a renovation of existing landscape).
In the drawing above the blue lines around the house depict the underground pipes collecting from the roof caneles and the three rectangles are the cisterns to collect water. Currently this part of the yard is a fairly deep gully through which much of the runoff from the street passes. Erosion would be an even worse problem were it not for the efforts of previous stewards, but it’s both a continuing concern and an opportunity. (Below: gully that will house the buried cisterns).
In the plan, the meandering pebbly looking circles are zuni bowls designed to slow and direct the water. This, in combination with some terracing, should improve the erosion situation and make space for flat planting beds. (Below: an erosion problem).
The patio behind the house is entirely new and will be a nice space to set up the telescopes. To the right the plan has a small orchard with a meadow of native grass. Surrounding each tree will be a '“fruit guild” or planting of bulbs, such as strawberries, and mulch plants like greek yarrow. All is a great improvement over the dirt patch there now. Yet today while enjoying the beautiful spring weather I noticed some…what are these….pushing up out of the dirt?
Plans are great, but it’s nice to have little surprises now and then too.