Reducing Water Needs with Xeriscape Gardening
Watering can become an even bigger issue when faced with the fact that many areas in dry climates already have some serious water rights and conservation issues. So what is a good gardener to do? All these magazines and catalogs make you believe that your garden should look a certain way, filled with green and exotic plants that need to be tended and coddled. If you follow that stereotype though, you are helping to support some pretty serious environmental problems. These days, there has been a revolution in the gardening world. Gardeners in areas that are not within “traditional” climates have put their feet down and said, No More! Many of these gardeners are chucking the traditional magazine image of a garden for ones filled with native and local climate-friendly plants. In drier, water limited climates, this style of gardening is xeriscaping.
What is Xeriscaping?
Xeriscaping is the art of taking plants that need little water and using them in your landscape. The plants frequently used are succulents, cacti, and grasses incorporated with a fair amount of hardscaping that best accents the plantings. Xeriscape gardening does take a little bit for the eye to get use to, especially if the eye is use to looking at lush green landscapes frequently seen in magazines and on TV. However, if one took a few moments to study xeriscaped landscapes, then he/she would come to appreciate the diversity and beauty that exists there. Plus, the xeriscaped gardener can enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that the landscape is much more suited to the natural environment. Xeriscaping has benefits beyond just being environmentally friendly. There is both a cost and energy savings benefit. A xeriscape gardener will spend less on replacing plants that die because they are not suited to the local climate and spend less energy pampering and watering non-native plants. This creates a much more enjoyable, low-maintenance garden. So, if you live in a high heat, low-water climate, you should seriously consider moving your garden towards the xeriscaping ideology. With xeriscaped landscapes, you will enjoy your garden more, and your water bills won’t look near as frightening.
