Plant a drought resistant garden
The seven principles of Xeriscape

For most, Xeriscape would probably sound like nothing more than a high-tech, newfangled way to make copies. In actuality, it has nothing to do with copy machines at all.

Xeriscaping refers to landscaping in ways that do not require continual and supplemental irrigation. A Xeriscaped yard relies on drought-resistant plants or plants that are natural to the area and climate. It is gardening with water conservation in mind. In the end it saves the gardener hours of maintenance and increased water bills, and it saves the environment from detrimental effects like soil erosion and run-off.

Although many associate the practice with dry gardens filled with dirt, rocks and cacti, American Society of Landscape Architects spokesman Jim Knopf said this was a fallacy.

"Although dry rock gardens can be truly marvelous, there are many wonderful choices other than rock for the xeric portions of Xeriscape designs," he said. "Xeric implies no added water. By definition,

Xeriscape means some water applied in well-controlled amounts and locations in the landscape."

The Colorado WaterWise Council has established seven main principles of xeriscaping.

1 Plan and design for water conservation from the start.

The group advises creating three plans for your xeriscaped garden: a base plan describing the existing landscape; a bubble diagram (remember Pop-Up Video?) on

the

base plan describing what you want; and a final plan incorporating everything you want in your Xeriscape.

2 Create practical turf areas of manageable sizes, shapes and appropriate grasses.

Although typical American landscape design includes extravagant amounts of lawn, Xeriscaping is not conducive to this design. Instead, choose areas where lawn is absolutely necessary. Areas of heavy foot traffic would be good places to whack the grass and convert to walkways.

3 Select low-water plants and group plants of similar water needs together.

Xeriscaping is all about lowwater plants. Although most assume this means a yard full of cactus, this couldn't be further from the truth. Other plants that are perfect for lowwater gardens include agave, lavender, juniper, sedum and thyme.

4 Use soil amendments like compost or manure as needed. Sandy clay doesn't soak up or release water well. In contrast, sandy soil soaks up water so quickly that it doesn't allow grass and plants enough time to grab a drink. To combat this, amend the soil by adding lots of organic material like aged compost or manure.

5 Use mulch such as woodchips to reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool.

Mulch keeps soil cool by minimizing evaporation. This cools plant root zones and allows them to take more time soaking up much-needed moisture.

6 Irrigate efficiently with properly designed systems and by conserving water.

When your Xeriscape starts out, it needs probably as much water as the grass you've replaced. Once it gets established, however, you can cut back on watering. If possible, design your own sprinkler systems specifically to the specifications of your plants' water needs.

7 Maintain the landscape properly by mowing, weeding, pruning and fertilizing properly.

Make sure to mow, prune and deadhead whenever necessary, as this improves plant vigor, reduces self-grown seedlings and makes your Xeriscape as healthy and beautiful as possible.