Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping means landscaping designed to require little to no supplemental water above and beyond natural precipitation in the location being landscaped. The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water predicts that 36 states will experience water shortages by 2013. The Colorado Water Wise Council estimates that more than 50 percent of residential water use is applied to landscape and lawns and that 40 to 50 percent of total urban water use is for landscaping. Encouraging urban residents to use water more efficiently, then, is extremely important to ensure that water supplies are available for the indefinite future. These concerns are especially important in the water-scarce cities of the western and southwestern United States where the term xeriscape was first coined.

Xeriscaping promotes landscapes that need little supplemental water and the use of mulches to suppress weeds. The Hartman Prehistoric Garden in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, is an example of xeriscaping

Source: iStockphoto

The 1977 drought in the western United States created a scare that led to the creation of a task force of water, horticultural, and landscaping experts from the Denver Water Department, Colorado State University, and the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado. The focus of the conference was water supply planning, which attempts to extend existing water supplies to meet future needs. One of the greatest challenges was to demonstrate that it was indeed possible have both beautiful gardens and use significantly less water. The term xeriscape was coined in 1981 by this task force. The term is trademarked by Denver Water and refers [Page 476]to water-efficient and bioregionally appropriate landscaping. The name is derived from the Greek xeros for “dry” and the English term landscape. In 1982, Denver Water donated land and 55 landscape businesses contributed money for a successful demonstration garden. There are seven principles that serve as the basis for the concept of xeriscaping:

• Planning and design
• Limiting turf areas
• Selecting and zoning plants appropriately
• Improving the soil
• Using mulches
• Irrigating efficiently
• Doing appropriate maintenance

The term xeriscape is flexible and allows for various levels of effort that can be tailored to meet specific local situations. Xeriscaping promotes landscapes that need little supplemental water. Acknowledging that droughts occur, it focuses on planting drought-tolerant landscapes, yet does not refer to a dry, barren landscape or a no-maintenance landscape. Instead it promotes the use of plants that are well adapted, in tandem with mulches that suppress weeds and conserve water. Xeriscaping does not imply a rock-strewn landscape devoid of vegetation and, in fact, can be lush, colorful, and easy to care for.

In addition, xeriscaping does not mean creating a landscape that requires no water. In fact, a xeriscaped lawn may require watering on a regular basis. However, it does encourage smart design that decreases the need for water. Efficient irrigation, such as watering at night instead of during the heat of the day and using properly designed hoses and sprinklers, is crucial to xeriscaping. Proper weeding, mowing, pruning, and fertilization can also help decrease water use. Zoning plants with similar needs in the same area can also greatly reduce the amount of water wasted. Ideally, the principles of xeriscaping benefit homeowners, businesses, and landscapers by encouraging them to plant and maintain shrubs, flowers, and lawns that are more suited to local soil and climate conditions.

...