What are Xeriscapes?

Xeriscapes are areas surrounding a house or building that require little or no watering or irrigation. Businesses and homeowners have traditionally surrounded their properties with lawns that required extensive care and many gallons of water a week to survive. In drought-prone areas, such as the American Southwest, this is highly inefficient. Xeriscapes were introduced in the early 1980s as a way to conserve water resources without compromising aesthetic quality. Xeriscapes can include cacti and other plants with low water requirements, native species, rock gardens and other creative approaches.

When the American suburbs began expanding outward from major cities in the 1950s, the lawn became a status symbol. Many suburban residents treat their lawns as a sort of hobby, spending hours each week on mowing, watering and other maintenance. This includes residents of Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Utah and California, all states with large desert areas. Even some residents of the desert states of Arizona and Nevada have green lawns, grown from seeds brought from other states and maintained with constant irrigation. In southwestern states, it is estimated that 25 percent to 50 percent of home water use goes toward lawn maintenance.

In 1981, landscape engineers at Denver Water, the water department for Colorado’s capital, coined the term “xeriscapes” from “xeros,” the Greek word for “dry”. They outlined seven principles for xeriscaping, which are still used in the 21st century. These include the use of native plants and grasses, more efficient irrigation, composting and mulching, and positioning plants to take advantage of local conditions. Denver and several other cities have created demonstration gardens in public areas to highlight xeriscape design.

Xeriscapes are commonly perceived as simple cactus gardens with gravel paths. While this is one kind of xeriscape, it is not necessary to avoid greenery to conserve water. Buffalo grass, blue grama and fescue can be used to create lawns with fewer water requirements than typical grasses. Other xeriscape plants can include juniper, geraniums, primrose, daylilies, redbuds, and such conifer trees as blue spruce and ponderosa pine. Xeriscape designers suggest positioning plants with higher water requirements near drainage areas or in spots where they will be shielded from the sun by larger plants.

While many cities encourage xeriscapes, some homeowners with xeriscapes have encountered resistance from their homeowners’ associations. These groups enforce contractual agreements concerning the appearance of yards in their neighborhoods, and many such contracts specify lawns that require high water usage. Unlike city governments, homeowners’ associations are often run by local developers or resident committees with no stake in water conservation. Homeowners who are considering xeriscaping should check with their local association before proceeding.