Xeriscaping is a growing trend among gardeners, landscapers and homeowners that want to enjoy the look of nature but also want to preserve nature so that they can enjoy it. There are many environmental benefits that come from this type of landscape — most importantly water conservation. Of course, this approach to gardening is more than just water conservation, it’s also a way to create an amazing, eco-friendly landscape that will naturally thrive in it’s environment with very little maintenance.

Let’s dig a little deeper look at xeriscaping, low water plants, and how the environmental benefits of this type of gardening.

What is Xeriscaping?

Xeriscaping means creating a landscape using low water-use or drought-tolerant plants that are adapted to grow in conditions that don’t require any supplemental irrigation. These “low-water plants” either have the ability to store water in their leaves, or have narrow leaves that reduce the loss of water. Cacti, probably the most familiar low-water plant, is a perfect example of what you might find in a xeriscaped landscape. But, cacti are only the type of the ice plant — there are many, many plants that are well-suited for this type of garden.

What Types of Plants Are Best for a Xeriscape Environment?

Plants with hairy, succulent, or narrow leaves generally tend to be low water-use and so are ideals for xeriscaping. Some evergreens fall into this category, too, such as junipers and hemlocks.

If you live in a drought-prone area, you will find that native plants have already adapted to the low-moisture conditions so won’t need any extra irrigation.

Here are some of the types of low-water plants gardeners use in xeriscape gardens.

Consider your location when you look at this list, and see if there are any species that are native to your region. Also check to be sure that none of these plants are listed as “invasive plants” for your location.

•    Hen-and-chicks (Sempervivum tectorum)

•    Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

•    Fairy Duster (Calliandra eriophylla)

•    Four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens)

•    Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) (The other Echinacea species are also low water-use)

•    Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)

•    Aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica)

•    Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

•    Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)

•    Dianthus

•    Tall blasing star (Liatris aspera)

•    Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius) (Most species of aster are low water-use)

•    Beach plum (Prunus serotina)

•    Aloe (Aloe vera)

*   Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Environmental Benefits

Native plants are usually the best choice for creating a xeriscape landscape. Gardening with native plants is better for the environment because they naturally fit into the local ecosystem and support the habitat for other native plants and animal species. In addition, there is less chance of introducing a potentially invasive species when you don’t have to import your plants.

Conserving water is a another significant environmental benefit of xeriscaping. Watering lawns and gardens can use a tremendous amount of water. Creating a landscape of low-water plants eases the burden of trying to hydrate plant species that aren’t intended to thrive in a low-water environment.

Keeping a Xeriscape Garden Chemical Free

Another environmental benefit of landscaping your home with a xeriscaping plan is that it will naturally repel bugs and weeds. This means that you will rarely, if ever, need to to consider using pesticides or other chemicals. That’s a plus for the eco-system and the health of your family. Here’s how xeriscaping makes it easier to avoid chemicals in the garden:

•    Drought-resistant plants, especially native ones, are not as prone to pests and diseases as other species. This cuts down on the need to use of pesticides or fungicides.

•    Many weeds require moist soil. So, when you have a low-water garden, the drier soil won’t be as attractive to those pesky weeds, cutting back on any temptation to use chemical weed-killers and gas-powered mowers and trimmers.

Check with your neighborhood nursery or cooperative extension, to learn about the best water-wise plants for your region.

Water conservation is becoming ever more important in sustaining a healthy planet. Did you know that in the Summer, outdoor water use at homes increases from 10-50 percent?  So paying attention to your water usage in the garden is one way to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle and save money at the same time.

Here are some easy ways to cut your water costs in your garden-

Water your garden as infrequently as possible. By using native plants, you can design the sort of garden that can stay green without a lot of water in the first place.

Collect rainwater that runs off your roof in rain barrels. Drainpipes can empty directly into barrels, which should have faucets near the bottom to make it easy to get the water out. Be sure to cover the top of the barrel with a screen or some other covering to prevent debris (such as leaves) and insects (such as breeding mosquitoes) from getting into the water.

Water your garden during the coolest part of the day to reduce evaporation. Stick to watering in the early morning or late evening, and water only the areas and plants that need it.

Mulching plants will help reduce water needs. Flowers, trees, and shrubs should be mulched with pine bark mulch. Vegetables can be mulched with black-and-white newspaper, salt marsh hay, or landscape fabric.

Use a drip irrigation system or soaker hose in gardens that need the most water. These types of irrigation systems can save 30-70 percent of the water that is used by overhead sprinkler systems.

If you water by hand, don’t water foliage, but water at the base of the plants, where the plants will absorb the most water.

For any potted plants, make sure that they have a saucer under their container to catch extra water.

If your yard is big enough, consider installing a cistern, a large water-storage container that can hold rainwater as well as greywater, which is water already used for washing, laundry, or showering. Even if you don’t have a rain barrel or cistern, you can use basins or buckets to carry used dishwater or bathwater outside to water your plants.

Use a trigger nozzle or soaker hose instead of a sprinkler. A sprinkler can use as much water in an hour as a family of four uses in a day! Trigger nozzles or soaker hoses work better for specific areas such as garden beds. If you just can’t give up your sprinkler, remember that it doesn’t take long for a sprinkler to soak your lawn thoroughly. When you set up the sprinkler, set out an upside-down Frisbee, too; when the Frisbee’s filled with water, turn off the sprinkler.

You can reduce water needs for your lawn by raising the lawnmower’s blade level so grass is cut at two to three inches or higher. Longer grass needs less water, since it shades the plants’ roots, which in turn encourage deeper growth.

Do you have any cleaver ways that you conserve water in your garden? We want to know! Use the comment section below and give us your great ideas!

With the monsoon season upon us, we like to remind everyone to think about harvesting rain water.  Here is your simple guide to start saving our most sacred resource: water!

The Eight Principles of Successful Water Harvesting

Courtesy of Brad Lancaster- harvestingrainwater.com

1. Begin with long and thoughtful observation.Use all your senses to see where the water flows and how. What is working, what is not? Build on what works.

2. Start at the top (highpoint) of your watershed and work your way down.Water travels downhill, so collect water at your high points for more immediate infiltration and easy gravity-fed distribution. Start at the top where there is less volume and velocity of water.

3. Start small and simple. Work at the human scale so you can build and repair everything. Many small strategies are far more effective than one big one when you are trying to infiltrate water into the soil.

4. Slow, spread, and infiltrate the flow of water. Rather than having water run erosively off the land’s surface, encourage it to stick around, “walk” around, and infiltrate into the soil. Slow it, spread it, sink it.

5. Always plan an overflow route, and manage that overflow as a resource.Always have an overflow route for the water in times of extra heavy rains, and where possible, use the overflow as a resource.

6. Maximize living and organic groundcover. Create a living sponge so the harvested water is used to create more resources, while the soil’s ability to infiltrate and hold water steadily improves.

7. Maximize beneficial relationships and efficiency by “stacking functions.” Get your water harvesting strategies to do more than hold water. Berms can double as high-and-dry raised paths. Plantings can be placed to cool buildings in summer. Vegetation can be selected to provide food.

8. Continually reassess your system: the “feedback loop.”Observe how your work affects the site, beginning again with the first principle. Make any needed changes, using the principles to guide you.

Principles 2, 4, 5, and 6 are based on those developed and promoted by PELUM, the Participatory Ecological Land-Use Management association of east and southern Africa. Principles 1, 3, 7, and 8 are based on my own experiences and insights gained from other water harvesters.

These principles are the core of successful water harvesting. They apply equally to the conceptualization, design, and implementation of all water-harvesting landscapes. You must integrate all principles, not just your favorites, to realize a site’s full potential. Used together, these principles greatly enhance success, dramatically reduce mistakes, and enable you to adapt and integrate arange of strategies to meet site needs. While the principles remain constant, the strategies you use to achieve them will vary with each unique site.

For a thorough introductory description of water-harvesting principles and additional ethics see Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1 (Rainsource Press, 2006).

Watershed Management Group is a Tucson-based non-profit with the mission to improve people’s lives by integrating community development and conservation. We provide people with the knowledge and skills necessary to sustainably manage their natural resources.

Our work includes: increasing vegetation in neighborhoods through stormwater harvesting, making conservation technologies affordable, using rainwater and greywater to irrigate landscapes, restoring riparian areas to have healthy in-stream flows, and building community through hands-on, educational projects.

Learn more about Watershed Management Group by visiting our website at www.watershedmg.org