What is Xeriscape?
The word Xeriscape comes from the Greek word xeros for dry. Xeriscaping is water- conserving landscaping adapted to areas with dry summer climates.
Those areas in the United States with the most summer rainfall are the states east of the Mississippi river, and those to the west are the driest. Periodic droughts and increasing population and housing demands impact municipal water sources throughout the western United States.
In Southern Oregon, water is a precious resource that must be used wisely.
A new garden can be planned to conserve water and an existing garden can be modified to improve water efficiency.
An irrigation system audit (a review of the sprinkler system) along with a review of the existing plant and soil conditions, will often yield information that the home gardener can use to make modifications that will improve garden water efficiency.
Lawns in the Landscape
Turf grass lawns were first popular in the large estate gardens of the 18th century French nobility. The esthetic of vast tracts of mowed grass was exported to England and then to America where it has evolved into a common component of the American suburban landscape.
In the United States today, fifty-eight million Americans spend an approximate thirty billion dollars each year to maintain more than twenty-three million acres of lawns.
Suburban lawns in the United States use more labor, equipment, imported petroleum fuel, synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides than industrial farming.
Lawn pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers contribute to water pollution as lawn run-off washes into storm drains and rivers.
Of all of the types of plants grown in the common American urban garden, turf grass lawns are the most labor intensive, least drought tolerant, and use the greatest amounts of natural resources.
Fortunately there are alternatives to large, wasteful lawns. There are beautiful garden spaces that serve the outdoor enjoyment needs of their owners, and do not squander precious money and resources.
Many homeowners have discovered that the more modestly sized lawn can accommodate the occasional summer time game of ball with the kids just as easily as the large lawn. And that other garden areas not devoted to lawn can also supply beauty and enjoyment for outdoor activities.