Many people love lush lawns and gardens teeming with flowers and foliage but keeping a yard green often comes with heavy watering which not only affects your budget, but also impacts our watersheds.
Have no fear! By xeriscaping you can still have a colorful bountiful yard while conserving water, helping the environment and lowering your water bill.
So, what does xeriscape mean? It comes from the Greek root word “xeros” meaning dry. Xeriscaping refers to the practice of landscaping with minimal water use. This doesn’t mean a drought-tolerant landscape has to appear dry or bland. Quite the opposite!
There’s an abundance of plants that help conserve water and still feature flowers, plenty of green, colorful trees and leaves.
Here are 7 basic xeriscaping principles that will help you to reduce water usage and protect our watersheds year-round:
Magnificent 7
- Plan your xeriscape well in advance
- Keep turfgrass to a minimum
- Choose plants with lower water needs
- Place plants with similar watering needs together
- Use a targeted irrigation system to reduce water waste
- Mulch around plants to reduce water evaporation
- Maintain/trim plants to prevent heavier water needs
