Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping is an approach to landscape design that integrates the resource conservation objectives of communities in dry environments and water-stressed urban areas. The principal management objective of xeriscaping is to create a landscape that is water conserving and requires little or no irrigation. The term was coined by the Denver Water Department in 1981 and has been widely adopted by state, county, and city governments that promote alternatives to the common water-intensive turfgrass landscapes of North America. Xeriscaping has gained in popularity as an environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing alternative to such conventional landscaping. As the term has entered popular discourse, xeriscaping is increasingly used as an umbrella term for landscaping that encompasses a range of environmental objectives. These objectives extend beyond water conservation and ...