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Photo by Gary Payne
A South Bay couple seizes the opportunity to xeriscape
Chula Vista’s Dawn and Rob Quisenberry saw a great opportunity to redesign their front yard when a water pipe extending from the street to their EastLake Shores home broke.
“Our backyard was already landscaped as low-maintenance, with water conservation in mind, so when the pipe broke, it left us with no excuse not to redo the front,” says Dawn, director of communications and programs with the American Institute of Architects’ San Diego office.
Rob, an AIA architect, points out they live in a planned community with approvals needed for any landscaping and exterior changes. “Given that our community was developed in a desert, maintaining a grass lawn consumes much more water than it does in coastal communities,” he says. “We hope that our yard will encourage others to consider installing more environmentally conscious landscaping.
For research, the couple visited area nurseries and the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon. Next, Rob measured the front yard and created a site plan that the community approved. Now all their yard requires is occasional hand watering. And water goes only where it’s needed—no more runoff onto the sidewalk. Weeds are easily removed, and the landscaping can be neglected for days. The Quisenberrys no longer have to mow, edge or fertilize the lawn. They may be trendsetters in their neighborhood, but life without a traditional front lawn suits them fine.
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