Landscaping in San Marcos

East of the escarpment, San Marcos soils are dense blackland clay. They hold nutrients well and drain slowly, which is why so many new lawns here stay soggy for days after rain and crack open in August. West of town the soil thins out over limestone, with the same caliche and rock we see in Boerne and Helotes.

San Marcos sits where the Balcones Escarpment meets the river, and the city has a long history of flash flooding. Many neighborhoods have drainage easements, detention areas and lots that slope toward each other. We study where water enters and leaves your yard before we design anything, and we keep new work out of mapped floodplain areas where rules restrict building.

Much of the area west of I-35 lies over the Edwards Aquifer recharge and contributing zones, which can bring extra rules on grading, impervious cover and how runoff is handled. We check your lot before we plan large hardscape.

Kissing Tree, Blanco Vista, La Cima and other planned communities have architectural committees with detailed standards for front yards, plant lists, fences and lighting. Our Kissing Tree xeriscape was approved in one round because the submission answered every question before the committee asked it.

The City of San Marcos sets drought stages tied to the Edwards Aquifer, with assigned watering days and limited hours for sprinklers in stricter stages, and more allowance for drip. Many of our San Marcos clients choose xeriscaping to stay green on those schedules.