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Xeriscape: Guilt-Free Gardening

Are you concerned about water conservation and other related environmental issues? Are you worried that your current garden irrigation system is, at best, inefficient and, at worst, plain wasteful? Do you have a nagging doubt that you're not doing your bit for the environment?

If the answer's 'yes' to all these questions, then chances are that Xeriscape gardening is right for you.

Xeriscape Environmental Issues

Xeriscape is, for many environmentally aware horticulturists, a moral issue. It's also a necessity for those gardeners who are thinking long-term.

Xeriscape is indeed the way forward for those who want to play their part in creating a garden irrigation system and environment friendly landscape that won't overburden our already depleted natural water resources.

Xeric and Xeriscape Defined
The adjective xeric means "deficient in moisture." Xeriscape is a trademarked term used for landscapes that promote water conservation and energy efficiency. Xeriscape landscaping focuses on the use of drought tolerant plants, an efficient garden irrigation system and mulching to reduce water consumption.

Xeriscape Setup

Converting to Xeriscape is easier than you think. With careful planning, you can adapt your current yard layout and convert much of your existing garden stock to a water conservation efficient garden. A few landscaping tweaks such as introducing an improved garden irrigation system is often all it takes to do your bit for the environment.

Xeriscape Facts and Figures

These important facts may motivate you to take the Xeriscape plunge:

Despite the formulation of accepted Xeriscape procedures, more than half the residential water consumption in the US still goes into watering the nation's lawns and gardens.
Xeriscape gardens consume, on average, seventy percent less water than conventional gardens.
Converting to Xeriscape reduces your water and general maintenance costs by a whopping fifty percent, or more.
An efficiently managed Xeriscape garden could significantly increase the value of your property.
Water conservation aside, converting to Xeriscape also prevents erosion, reduces storm-water runoff and minimizes the environmentally damaging effects of soil expansion.
Through efficient water conservation, Xeriscape offers long term benefits for the environment, especially in arid, drought-ridden regions of the world.

Xeriscape Concept: Origins and Development
Xeriscape landscaping is a relatively recent concept that originated in the early 1980s with the systematic drive to coordinate new landscaping methods and best practices for water conservation.

Drought Tolerant Plants

Although Xeriscape favors the use of native plants, any non-indigenous drought tolerant plants, as well as many borderline tolerant plants thrive equally well in a carefully designed and maintained Xeriscape environment.

For minimum care, maximum color, the following drought tolerant and borderline drought tolerant plants are perfectly suited to Xeriscape landscaping:

bushes, shrubs, trees: alpine currant, Apache plume, American plum, boxelder maple, chokecherry, Colorado spruce, dwarf conifer, hackberry, hawthorn, juniper, lilac, oleander, olive, palm, sage, Scotch pine, skunk bush, soapwood, spruce, viburnum, willow, yucca
drought resistant grasses: blue gramagrass, blue oat grass, buffalo grass, Canada blue grass, fairway crested wheat grass, hard fescue, maiden grass, Mexican feather grass, purple fountain grass, stricta, rubra, yellow pampas grass
rock plants, flowers, ground cover: amaranthus, baby's breath, blue flax, border pink, butterfly weed, day lily, golden marguerite, lamb's ears, purple coneflower, Russian sage, snow in summer, sundrops, Turkish speedwell, wolly yarrow.

Xeriscape Garden Design: Tips and Ideas

Many environmentally committed gardeners have come up with ingenious ideas for beautifying their Xeriscape gardens. The list below should help you get started.

Rock Garden

A colorful rock garden is the perfect solution for the water conservation conscious gardener. All you need is a small site composed of a few large, interesting-shaped rocks bedded into gravel and sand. Create color and impact with clusters of different sized plants dotted randomly, on different levels of the rock garden. Border with drought resistant grass in contrasting colors.

Cactus Patch

The cactus is king in a Xeriscape environment. Use your imagination to plant a cactus patch. Use different shapes and sizes of cactus and intersperse with flowering varieties for a breathtaking display. Cacti are partial to arid conditions, with blistering sunshine and drying winds.

Are Lawns and Xeriscape Mutually Exclusive?

The short answer is 'no', provided that the water supply is carefully controlled. A garden irrigation system designed for the purposes of efficient water conservation will not bite too heavily into your water budget. Save on water with a drought resistant Xeriscape lawn laid to field turf instead of the thirstier garden grass variety.

Xeriscape Garden Accessories

A Xeriscape water conservation style garden can appear somewhat stark, without the addition of a few sensitively chosen accessories to soften the look.

Accessories should harmonize with, or at least complement, their Xeriscape landscape environment. Ideas for accessories include: