Xeriscaping is not a style or category of garden design. It is a common sense guide to gardening in harmony with your site. It can be applied to any type of garden design.
Why Is Xeriscaping Important?
The obvious answer is that we only have a finite amount of water on Earth and some years even less than others. By grouping plants by their water needs, using mulch, and choosing drought-tolerant plants, you will be conserving water usage. You will also have healthier gardens and landscapes and less need to use fertilizers and pesticides. Consider that everything you do in your yard and garden will eventually affect your water source and from there, any nearby bodies of water. We hear a lot about pollution from industry and factories. These are considered “point sources”. Homeowners and individuals are considered “nonpoint” sources of pollution. While you may not think the fertilizer and bug spray you use on your plants is excessive, the combined runoff from all of us “nonpoint sources” is considerable. By applying these simple xeriscaping techniques you will be conserving water and improving local water quality—all while still having a beautiful garden.
The 7 Principles of Xeriscaping
Drought Tolerant Plants for Gardens
Many plants will continue to grow just fine in drought conditions if they have been selected wisely and were allowed to establish themselves before being stressed by drought. No plant will survive forever without some water and different plants will thrive in different regions and conditions, but here is a list of drought-tolerant plants to get you started.
Achillea (Yarrow) Alyssum Artemisia Asclepias (Butterfly Weed) Beebalm California Poppy Campanula carpatica (Bellflower) Coreopsis Cosmos Cranesbill Geranium Daylily Echinacea Coneflower Euphorbia Gaillardia Goldenrod Greek oregano Heliopsis Hosta Iris Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) Lamb’s Ears Lavender Liatris Mock strawberry Nasturtium Nepeta (Catmint) Penstemon Perovskia (Russian Sage) Portulaca Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan) Salvia nemerosa Sedum Tradescantia (Spiderwort) Veronica Zinnia
Drought-tolerant Grasses
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora) Fescue Fountain Grass (Pennisetum) Maiden Grass (Miscanthus) Switch Grass (Panicum)
Drought-tolerant Shrubs
Amelanchier (Shadbush) Aronia (Chokeberry) Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) Caryopteris (Blue Mist Shrub) Cotoneaster Hypericum (St. Johnswort) Juniper Potentilla Cytisus (Scotch Broom) Viburnum
