Xeriscape does not equal ugly

Posted by John A in June 2nd, 2008

When I think of xeriscape I usually think of a home with a “yard” with no trees and nothing green around. A boulder or two may accent beds of colored gravel, with or without accompanying weeds.

As I’m thinking through and researching landscaping around our home, I’ve come to learn that xeriscape is far from the barren scene I described above. Beautiful, lush gardens can be the scene of water conservation at its finest. Native forbes and grasses attract pollinators and thrive on the dry climate.

“What is Xeriscape? This question confuses many people who expect Xeriscape to be a specific look or specific group of plants. Xeriscape is actually a combination of seven common-sense gardening principles that save water while creating a lush and colorful landscape. ColoradoWaterWise.org asks and answers this question by explaining the seven principles of xerisape.

Xeriscape Colorado has many inspiring photographs of the gardens that you can produce here that require very little water. And Colorado State has a great list of native plants that you can start your own xeriscape garden with.

Any tips from local BV gardeners?

Photo credit

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6 responses so far ↓

1 Joel // Jun 2, 2008 at 5:46 am

When I lived in Albuquerque I saw quite a few yards that had painted their gravel green. That certainly didn’t take any water. Seriously, thank you for bringing up xeriscaping and the need for water conservation, especially out here in Buena Vista. The town has recently been asked to investigate adding 9-holes to the current golf course. While we have not said that we would even investigate this yet, we have said that if we do investigate it, we would want it to be analyzed as the most eco-friendly golf course imaginable-and xeriscaped where practicable. We shall see what happens.
2 Conrad // Jun 3, 2008 at 9:57 am

While most plants need a little water, there are many that grow quite well with minimal water. There are those that take some water, but through photosyntesis, help the environment. Also, with the deer problem, many plants are deer “resistant”, particularly aromatic plants such as Russian sage, thyme, and natives, e.g., echinacia and penstemons. High Country Gardens (internet) has good advice on xeriscape gardens, and Gary Ludwig at Pleasant Avenue Nursery is an excellent source of information. Good design does wonders for a landscape, not necessarily high water demands or a sea of rocks and gravel. The image above is a perfect example of a well-integrated, simple, and attractive design. Grass should be forbidden in this area, besides who wants to mow lawns when they can be out hiking and enjoying the mountains.
3 Conrad // Jun 3, 2008 at 9:59 am

Correction: should be photosynthesis
4 Alex Telthorst // Jun 3, 2008 at 10:19 am

Here is a link to High Country gardens that conrad refers to…. http://www.highcountrygardens.com/

And the local connection @ Pleasant avenue Nursery - http://www.pleasantavenuenursery.com
5 Keith Baker // Sep 12, 2008 at 5:37 am

Evelyn and I xeriscaped our grounds at our former house in Colorado Springs. We attended classes at the Colorado Springs Utilities Mesa Xeriscape Demonstration Garden. We had a great time designing the plan (I had to have a dry streambed), selecting the plants (they don’t all have to be native!), and working with the landscaper who installed everything. There is a small turf area (it’s allowed within reason) of drought-resistant grass with the sprinklers directed inward so you don’t water the sidewalk. The sprinklers have an auto-shutoff so they don’t run during or after recent rains. We were really happy with all aspects of it and were proud of the work we did and the results. Drive by and see it at 1490 Branding Iron Dr in Rustic Hills if you ever get a chance - the new owners have changed the house a lot (ugh!) but at least the grounds still looked good last time we drove by!
6 Keith Baker // Sep 12, 2008 at 5:41 am

Here’s a link to the Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscape site. It has some great planning and implementation tools so you aren’t profligate with water and still have a great-looking place:

http://www.csu.org/environment/xeriscape/index.html