Sept. 2023 | Vol. 20 Iss. 09
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MIDVALE RESIDENTS SHOW OFF THEIR WATERWISE YARDS By Annabelle Larsen | a.larsen@mycityjournals.com
W
ater conservation is vital to life in this state. Everyone tries to do their part, whether it be running your sprinklers in the early morning, or something as simple as turning off the tap when you are brushing your teeth. One Midvale couple Kelley Cantrell and Larry Patterson takes water conservation very seriously and adapted their entire yard to be more eco-friendly, while still maintaining style. Displaying a lovely xeriscaped yard that includes rocks, sand, and many desert-type plants that require very little water. The popularity of xeriscape yards—yards that put an emphasis on using plants and yard set-up to emphasize the natural requirements of the local climate—have become more prevalent in the past several years, even driving down a neighborhood road one can see a variety of xeriscaped yards. The couple changed their front and back yard over several years to accomplish their water conservation goals, and now show off their vibrant and unique xeriscaped yard. Although they stated that this process was long and took around 12 years to complete, in the end it was worth it, and they both are happy with the outcome of these changes, and are happy to share what they have learned from this experience. Cantrell and Patterson displayed a variety of plant life and a lot of shade in both their front and back yards, keeping the temperatures down without sacrificing aesthetics. There’s a variety of different plants that thrive in Utah’s climate, such as asters, various types of cacti, several trees, mint, yucca plants, aloe and sedums. Patterson mentioned that the sedums are great pest repellents as Continued page 5
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Harvest Days
The backyard of the Patterson/Cantrell household displays decorative car skeletons. (Annabelle Larsen/City Journals)
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Midvale teacher up for state honor
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Future trails in the city