ABC Wednesday: X is for Xeriscaping

This week we have come to the letter X, normally a difficult letter, since few words actually start with X. However, a gardening-related word much in vogue right now is Xeriscape.

Xeriscaping refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that take into account the natural water supply and do not require additional irrigation. The word Xeriscape was coined by a task force in Denver, Colorado in 1978 and is actually a registered trademark of the water department of Denver. The word comes from the Greek word for "dry," xeros.

In arid climates like that of Arizona and other parts of the Southwest, it is easy to see why such a concept is important. On my first visit to Phoenix last winter I noticed that many homes did not even have lawns, just gravel and rock often landscaped with cacti and succulents. Areas with lush green lawns require daily watering to maintain them, as I discovered one night while walking around my daughter's apartment complex--I returned inside with soaked clothes after being surprised by the automatic water sprinklers!

While you might assume that only cacti like the prickly pear cactus shown above would be appropriate to grow in such a dry environment, I discovered that is not the case. A website on Arizona xeriscaping recommended many plants besides cacti and succulents for gardeners, including two that I saw everywhere while visiting Phoenix.

Oleander, which I showed on a previous post, is actually one of the recommended plants on the Arizona list. It is described as a plant which grows quickly and adaptable to dry climates.

The same is true of the beautiful bougainvillea. These plants were part of the landscaping around a Blockbuster Video Store! Notice the oleander in the background, too. Both plants are also used as part of highway landscaping; I saw many of them in beds of rock while we drove along the freeways around Phoenix. And here I thought Arizona must spend a lot of money on watering its highway plantings!

I must admit to not knowing much about xeriscaping; in fact, I had never even heard of the word until fairly recently. But in doing a little research, I discovered that gardeners in dry climates like the Southwest or other areas of the country subject to drought are not the only ones concerned with conserving water. That, of course, is the main purpose of xeriscaping--conserving precious water--but another reason is to plant a garden that is lower maintenance and can withstand the occasional periods of drought.

Here in the Midwest we don't have a dry climate--this past summer was one of the wettest on record--but we have had some summers of severe drought and usually have at least one "dry spell" every summer. I discovered several websites related to Illinois xeriscaping, although we often use the term "drought-tolerant" instead. On most of these websites you will find tips on planning a garden to survive drought plus databases of recommended plants.

Interestingly, the Arizona xeriscape website recommended the blanket flower or gaillardia. This traditional flower is also a native plant in the Midwest where it is easily grown. I took the picture above at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix where it looked just as good as in any Illinois garden. One of the things I learned about xeriscaping from my little bit of reading is something I already knew--you can't go wrong planting native plants.

If you are interested in learning more about xeriscaping, just google the word with your state. For my garden blogging friends, you may not learn anything new, but it's nice to know when you are planning a low-maintenance garden that you are also helping to conserve one of the earth's precious resources.

To see more ABC post visit Mrs. Nesbitt's Place or the ABC Anthology.

Since it is almost New Year's Eve, I hope that however you observe the occasion, whether celebrating with friends or spending a quiet evening at home, that everyone has a happy and SAFE New Year's Eve!