Xeriscape Landscaping

Autumn Gold Xeriscape Landscaping

When North American landscaping enthusiasts get together to discuss landscaping trends for the new millennium, the word "drought" is on their lips with an alarming frequency. A relatively new concept for the mainstream is also cropping up more and more, as a solution to drought and the economic costs it brings: the use of xeriscaping plants, in lieu of lawns. It may be time to look into the cheaper landscape alternative represented by a so-called "xeriscape."

Pronounced as if it began with the letter z, the use of "xeriscaping" originated with the Denver Colorado Water Department in 1981. A compound of the Greek xeros, dry, and "-scape," as in landscape, "xeriscape" landscaping essentially refers to a creating a landscape design that has been carefully tailored to withstand drought conditions.

Xeriscape landscaping can take many forms. For some landscapers, xeriscape landscaping simply means grouping plants with similar watering requirements together on the landscape. This makes for more efficient watering. In my opinion, this policy is more a manifestation of common sense than of true xeriscape landscaping. There is a theme that runs through landscapes that can more properly be pointed to as examples of xeriscape landscaping. That theme is a challenge to the hegemony of lawn grass. And herein lies the inevitable resistance to the use of xeriscaping plants.

Posted from About.com By David Beaulieu, About.com Guide