Xeriscaping research project

Research Project > Xeriscaping research project

Primavera - Online SCIENCE 11B Xeriscaping Xeriscaping is a form of landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. Xeriscaped landscapes need little to no water. Xeriscaping has been used in the dry regions of the western United States. Though there are many pros such as reducing your environmental footprint and cutting you ...[Show More]

Primavera - Online
SCIENCE 11B
Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping is a form of landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation.

Xeriscaped landscapes need little to no water. Xeriscaping has been used in the dry regions of

the western United States. Though there are many pros such as reducing your environmental

footprint and cutting your water bill down by quite a bit, there are some cons. These cons

include the amount of work needed in the beginning stages of your xeriscaped yard and your

yard not looking as great as it did when it had green grass.

Xeriscaping was created in the early ’80s as a way to cut down water use during droughts.

Xeriscaping has been widely used in the western United States when prolonged droughts

caused water supplies to be sparse and expensive. Denver Colorado was one of the first places

to start using xeriscaping because the cities water department wanted residents to stop using

their drinking water on their landscaping. This form of landscaping has become wildly popular

because of its environmental and financial benefits. Xeriscaped lawns are made by taking plants

that need little water and thrive with little irrigation and replacing grassy areas with rocks, soil,

mulch, and drought-tolerant plants. Most common among these plants are cactus which have

hundreds of different species that are native to Northern and Southern America. Cacti aren’t the

only plants that can be used in a xeriscape area. Other plants like thyme, sage, juniper, and

lavender are great for spaces being xeriscaped.

There are many advantages to xeriscaping such as a 50 to 75% reduction of water used.

It’s also very cost-efficient. Seeing as your water bill will be cut significantly from using less

water you also save money from the little maintenance needed. Not to mention xeriscaping

reduces the use of fertilizers and reduces pollution by taking the need for gas-powered mowers

away. It also improves the look of your home. While some love the look of a clean-cut green

grass yard, others long for the aesthetic of a beautiful desert landscape. Maintaining a lean can

be quite hard because both overwatering and under watering can kill it quite easily. Dead grass

isn’t the prettiest look and that’s one other reason people switch from a normal grass lawn to a

xeriscaped landscape.