Xeriscaping principles emphasize designing your landscape first

By Dennis Hill Saturday, March 21, 2015

Were putting in a new yard and are thinking about adding something that would save water. It seems like Im hearing different recommendations from everyone, and Im getting confused and a bit frustrated. I hear about xeriscaping being a good way to save water, but I dont want a bunch of gravel and cactus in my yard. Can I use less water and not end up with that?

Arthur

Lets start with the seven principles of xeriscaping for folks planning to put in a new yard or who are thinking of redoing their existing yard.

The first principle of xeriscaping is proper planning and design of the landscape. In addition to standard design considerations such as function, circulation, space, form and color, the landscape is designed with an eye to saving water.

Reducing turf areas is a start, but the designer also needs to take into consideration the relative water usage expected in different areas of the yard.

What Im talking about are things such as how shady areas of the yard dry out more slowly than areas exposed to the hot summer sun all day long or that slopes will dry out faster and demand more drought-tolerant plants while the more thirsty ones are best in low spots that tend to collect water or adjacent to areas that receive more water like next to the lawn.

A designer can even create topography to help harvest water and/or channel it to areas where it is needed.

I firmly believe in the value of designing a landscape before starting to buy plants. Designing takes a good deal of talent, skill and experience, and when you add the complexity of considering water usage of each plant, it becomes overwhelming to the average homeowner.

There are a number of well-qualified landscape designers locally who can help with this portion of the process. Personally, I think that its the best money youll spend on your yard.

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Xeriscaping principles emphasize designing your landscape first