Landscape architect David Cristiani describes himself as an Air Force brat who has lived all over the country; by age 13 he was a weather nerd and intensely interested in what grew where. Because of the frequent family moves, he says even as a kid he noticed the great contrast in flora that thrived in different regions of the United States.
Today, with 28 years of landscape architecture under his belt, Cristiani now works as a planner for Doña Ana County. He urges residents to work with the desert in designing their yards, saying, “You can’t pretend you are somewhere else; we live in the Chihuahuan Desert. Working with the desert will inform what your oasis (versus general areas of your garden) looks like.”
Cristiani will share his ideas at the free Lush and Lean workshop on Thursday, February 23rd hosted by Las Cruces Utilities (LCU).
His goal is to help residents plan their properties in a way that is sustainable in our southern New Mexico environment.
Cristiani encourages residents to avoid high water use plants. He says, “Pay attention to the processes and patterns in nature. Water is a process.” It’s important to create depressed areas in your yard to store water, then choose native plants that thrive in wetter and drier areas in the southwest.
He prefers hardscape that provides a place to sit, such as a “seat wall” that is also something nice to look at. He also likes desert “power plants” - soft and sharp - then uses flowers to accent specific spots in spring and fall. He likes a yard that features bolder plants such as agaves and beargrass.
All Lush and Lean workshops are free and open to the public; they are held Thursday evenings at the Branigan Library (200 E. Picacho) in the Roadrunner Room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. See the complete list of speakers and Lush and Lean dates at www.las-cruces.org/WaterConservation or www.facebook.com/cityoflascruces (you don’t need a Facebook account to view this page).
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.
Suzanne Michaels provides this content on behalf of Las Cruces Utilities. The Lush and Lean columns appear in The Las Cruces Bulletin.