Converting an outdated landscape into landscaping that uses less water is not as hard as you might think. And there are many benefits!
One of the best ways to do this is to convert your high water-use landscaping into a Xeriscape (pronounced “zeer-escape”). This can be done anywhere- from a small home landscape, to a large commercial property.
Many people have an image of Xeriscape as a “sea of rocks, with a few cactus plants”. But Xeriscape can also be a lush, green and colorful landscape that is interwoven with flowering plants, textures, and beauty throughout each season. In my opinion it is much more beautiful and interesting than “traditional” landscaping.
The Top 10 Benefits Are:
10. Less Maintenance
9. Use Less Water & Better for the Environment
8. Prevent Water Damage
7. More Beautiful, Colorful & Unique
6. Better Wildlife Habitat
5. Less Fertilizers & Pesticides Needed
4. Better Suited to Your Site’s Unique Conditions
3. More Winter Beauty
2. Better Prepared for Drought
1. Saves You Money
Now I will discuss each benefit in greater detail and explain what each one can mean for you:
10. Less Maintenance
Xeriscape takes less maintenance than traditional landscaping- and here is why: A traditional landscape usually has quite a bit of lawn (turf, sod, etc.). In order to keep a lawn healthy it requires weekly mowing, trimming around edges, edging the lawn along sidewalks, fertilizing, aerating, treating any number of fungi or diseases, adjustment of sprinkler heads, etc., etc.
Think about all of the time and effort that goes into all of that maintenance and mowing every week. A well designed Xeriscape on the other hand limits the amount of lawn to maintain. The plants themselves need little care. If you give the plants room to grow- they need little to ZERO amount of pruning. The idea of Xeriscape is to let the plants grow just as they do in nature. The biggest maintenance items for a Xeriscape are an annual “spring cleanup” and occasional weeding.
9. Use Less Water & Better for the Environment
Obviously, a landscape that is more water efficient uses less water! Why is this important? Because fresh water is a very scarce resource throughout the world. Population growth and droughts put a tremendous strain on our water supply, especially in the west and southwest United States.
And watering landscaping uses a huge amount of water. For example, here in Colorado the average household uses 50% of their water for landscaping! And that is after years of conservation efforts. A well designed Xeriscape with drip irrigation can use up to 60% less water than a traditional landscape.
8. Prevent Water Damage
This is probably the most unkown benefit on the list. Water is the primary cause for damage of building foundations, paving, retaining walls, curbs, fencing, and just about anything else man-made. So by limiting the amount of water you are applying to your landscape and around buildings, you greatly reduce the likelihood of damage and additional maintenance costs to these items.
7. More Beautiful, Colorful & Unique
The next time you are in a suburban area of the United States that was built in the 1980’s or early 1990’s- look around at the landscaping. I am willing to bet that you would see the same basic design of the landscaping in just about any city in the US- despite the fact that the local climates in these places are completely different! How boring is that?!
Low water-use landscapes utilize plants that are either native to the local area, or well adapted to the region. The choices you have in plants and the design possibilities are almost limitless. You can utilize beautiful plants that do well in your area and exhibit a variety of interesting colors, forms, and textures.
6. Better Wildlife Habitat
Low water-use landscapes and Xeriscapes utilize native plants that the local wildlife enjoy and are familiar with. Flowers attract hummingbirds, songbirds, and insects including bees that are important to nature as pollinators. Diverse plantings also offer cover and even food to a variety of birds and animals.
5. Less Fertilizers & Pesticides Needed
Landscapes that are better adapted to the local environmental and weather conditions are less likely to be under stress, and therefor less susceptible to pests and diseases. Lawns often require large amounts of supplemental fertilizer to stay healthy- native plants thrive under natural soil nutrient and weather conditions. Additionally, applying large amounts of water to a landscape can promote fungi, mold, and bacteria issues.
4. Better Suited to Your Site’s Unique Conditions
You know that big, dry, shady patch under the Oak tree where you can never get the grass to grow? With low water-use landscaping you have many options for lovely plantings that enjoy dry shade. The same goes for that southwest facing spot that gets baked by the sun all day- there are plants that thrive in those conditions! Have clay or rocky soil? You can select plants that prefer those soil types. It makes more sense than planting lawn everywhere and artificially dousing it with water to keep it barely alive.
3. More Winter Beauty
Xeriscapes and low water-use landscapes can be stunning in the winter. You can use a combination of evergreen shrubs, ornamental grasses that catch the winter light and move in the breeze, plants with fall and winter foliage color, and shrubs with colorful and interesting bark to create contrast and texture in a snowy winter landscape.
2. Better Prepared for Drought
Drought sounds like something that only third world countries should worry about. But the fact is severe droughts and water shortages occur every year in all parts of the world. Australia is currently in a prolonged drought that is having serious consequences on their water supply. And in the early 2000’s Colorado experienced a major drought that caused rationing and restrictions on the amount of water one could use on their landscaping- causing lawns to turn brown all over Denver. Low water-use plants are better suited to not only survive, but remain attractive during times of drought.
1. Saves You Money
Water is a precious resource that costs more money every year. And water rates are projected to continue to rise. Significant savings can be achieved through a well designed conversion to low water-use landscaping: in most cases a savings of up to 60%! Several of the other benefits listed here also save money: requiring less maintenance, preventing water damage, and surviving drought to name a few. Raise your hand if you like to save money!
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