Xeriscaping or Zeroscaping

Xeriscaping refers to landscaping in ways that do not require supplemental irrigation.

Incorporating plants that survive well on just natural rainfall, this type of gardening is often referred to as "waterless gardening".

It has been in use for many years in areas of the world where water is scarce, but with more and more people going green and realizing how important water conservation is, it is catching on everywhere.

But why the word xeriscaping? It is actually a combination of the Greek word "xeros", which means dry, with "landscaping". In some areas the words zeroscaping and smartscaping are used interchangeably.

Contrary to what you might think, zeroscaping does not mean landscaping your yard with just rocks, cacti and tumbleweeds. You can still enjoy flower gardening. There is quite a wide variety of plant material available now that is hearty enough to withstand drier conditions.

To best determine what plants do well in your area, go out into nature and see what thrives. For example, lavender is a wild plant that is found in many areas of the world. It translates perfectly into home gardens, uses little water and adds beautiful mauve flowers and lovely fragrance to your garden.

Herbs can also be great for use in xeriscaping. For example, there are several varieties of sage that do wonderfully in waterless gardens. Russian Sage, Curlicue Sage or May Night Sage all make excellent additions to your natural garden.

Plants in the cacti family such as Texas Red Yucca are other obvious landscaping ideas if they thrive in your climate. The Yucca is often a favorite because it blooms, with flowers on top in a riot of flaming colors and blooms that last for several weeks.

The 7 Basic Principles Of Waterless Landscaping

1. Design and plan your yard with water wise principles in mind.

2. Use drought tolerant plants.

3. Keep lawn areas small and use drought resistant turf products.

4. Harvest water wherever possible with rain barrels, by channeling runoff water or mounding the earth around the edge of your property or garden area.

5. Irrigate efficiently and only enough water to keep plants looking fresh and alive.

6. Use mulch to retain water.

7. Keep weeds down (they use too much water), do minimal pruning of shrubs and aerate your lawn annually.

One of the keys to a successful smartscaping environment is to water plans well when they are first planted to get them well established in their location. In the second year they should be able to survive simply on water from rainfall and condensation. If the plants are well watered and well established early on, they will reward you will low maintenance over the following years.

For regions that are very dry in the summer, xeriscaping is the perfect answer to your gardening dilemma. You can still have a very attractive garden, complete with flowering plants, but conserve water and prevent excess soil erosion at the same time.

You can see that a waterless garden can take many forms, from an English country garden to a colorful desert landscape.

Look into zeroscaping in your area. The rewards for us all are well worth it.