water & environment
xeriscape
Xeriscape landscaping features well-planned and often breathtaking designs of many varieties of plants such as evergreens, wildflowers, prairie grasses and velvety groundcovers to offer year-round natural beauty. With an abundance of fragrant and colorful options, Xeriscape gardens are perfect for attracting butterflies, bumblebees, birds and other urban wildlife. Credit: Xeriscape Colorado.
Natural Beauty Meets Practicality
When landscapes and gardens are designed to function synergistically with the native climate and natural resources are not wasted or used excessively, a harmonious ecosystem arises.
This is the basic premise behind Xeriscape™, a term coined by Denver Water to promote a system of seven gardening principles that focus on creative, natural approaches for constructing low maintenance, water efficient, and sustainable landscapes.
Water Wise Features
Many traditional garden plants and turf need frequent irrigation to perform optimally. In Colorado's semi-arid climate, choosing appropriate plants that flourish with less water can reduce water use and maintenance costs by up to 60 percent.
There is a common misconception that Xeriscape is nothing but rocks and cactus. On the contrary, Xeriscape gardens can be lush and include a wide variety of plants, and they don't necessarily replace all grass or lawn spaces. The primary focus is on efficient water use in well-controlled amounts and locations in the landscape.
Key Elements
Xeriscape Colorado, a program of the Colorado WaterWise Council, provides details, photos and other educational resources for each of the seven common-sense Xeriscape landscaping principles, which can be applied to any public or private landscape:
- Have a plan and design
Begin planning with a scaled drawing of the lot, and map out major elements of the current landscape, including the footprint of buildings, driveways, patios, walkways, existing trees, shrubs and garden beds, as well as the location of spigots, downspouts, external electrical outlets, and other structures. Identify sunny and shady areas, slopes, views, and where the natural flows of water occur. - Create practical turf areas
Determine how various areas of the landscape will be used and create a planting scheme. Walkways, decks and patios are ideal for areas get a lot of foot traffic. Wildflowers and native grasses make excellent lawn substitutes, especially in large open spaces and low-use areas. Confine turf areas to practical uses, such as for places where children or pets will play. - Select and group plants accordingly
Group together plants with similar light and water requirements and place them in areas that match these requirements. High water-use plants can be placed in low-lying drainage areas, near downspouts, or in the shade of other plants. Groundcover is perfect for heavily shaded areas, and low water-use plants for dry and sunny spots. Choose a variety of plants with different heights, colors and textures to create interest and beauty in the garden. - Use soil amendments
Colorado soil tends to be either primarily clay or primarily sand. Clay soil retains moisture well, but is slow to absorb and release water, so over-watering causes rapid run off. Sandy soil doesn't retain moisture and nutrients very well; water passes through quickly, leaving plant roots dry. Soil preparation methods, such adding organic material and rototilling, improve soil conditions and allow plants to develop deeper root systems. - Use mulch
Mulch helps keep plant roots cool, prevents soil from crusting, minimizes evaporation, reduces weed growth, and helps control erosion. Organic mulches, such as bark chips or wood grindings, improve soil texture and provide nutrients as they decompose. Inorganic mulches, such as pea gravel and pumice, are helpful weed deterrents that can be used in areas where it is acceptable for the rock to remain visible. - Use water efficient irrigation practices
Efficient irrigation, via a hose-end sprinkler or an automatic sprinkler system, is vital to a healthy Xeriscape. Low-pressure, low-angle sprinklers irrigate best by keeping water close to the ground. Drip, spray or bubbler emitters are most efficient for watering trees, shrubs, flowers and groundcovers. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep plant roots, water appropriately for each zone of plants, and check systems regularly for leaks. - Maintain it
Maintenance time for a new garden is similar to a traditional landscape, but it decreases over time. In addition to weeding, proper irrigation, pruning, fertilizing and pest control are important for keeping landscapes beautiful and water thrifty. Maintain any lawn areas with proper mowing when grass is about one-third higher than the desired height. Clippings can be left where they fall, recycling nutrients into the soil.
Demonstration Gardens
There are numerous demonstration gardens around the metro region, including the one at Denver Water's administration building, located at 1600 W. 12th Avenue. The garden is open to the public Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The city also maintains four public water-wise Community Conservation Gardens.
Free Brochures
Denver Water has a series of Beautiful by Design brochures that provide information about Xeriscape principles, water-conserving turf grasses, water-efficient irrigation systems and fixtures, and landscape design plans for a variety of settings, such as strips, shady areas and slopes. To get the brochures, call Denver Water's Conservation Hotline at 303-628-6343 and ask for the free packet of information on Xeriscape.
Denver Botanic Gardens offers a free Water-Smart Gardening brochure, which includes landscape designs and gardening tips for the Rocky Mountain region designed and written by their horticulture experts. It is available online, along with other helpful gardening tips and resources.
IN-DEPTH:
- Visit Xeriscape Colorado to learn more about water wise gardening principles.
- View photos and descriptions of CSU's Plant Select recommendations.
- Learn more about Xeriscape methods from Denver Water.
- View Denver Water's sample landscaping plans.
- Get water-smart gardening tips from Denver Botanic Gardens.
