Xeriscaping is a fast-growing trend among gardeners and landscapers, particularly in the West, where water conservation is imperative.
At Westside Grounds, our experts can help you design the xeriscape you’ve always wanted.
Don’t know where to start? Read on to learn about different xeriscape ideas.
What Is Xeriscape?
According to Merriam-Webster, xeriscape refers to a particular form of landscaping. Xēros means “dry” in Greek. Therefore, xeriscape involves landscaping with drought-tolerant plants that can survive without a large amount of water. The purpose is to conserve water.
What Are Some Xeriscape Landscaping Ideas?
The following are examples of xeriscaping ideas you can embrace for your landscape.
Use Mulch
Mulch is a covering over the soil or ground. It serves many purposes, such as the following:
- Keeping balanced soil temperature,
- Detering the growth of weeds, and
- Preventing soil erosion.
Another benefit of mulch is that it helps to conserve water. Mulch keeps the water from evaporating into the atmosphere.
There are two types of mulch: inorganic and organic. We recommend organic mulch. Examples of organic mulch include the following:
- Bark,
- Wood chips,
- Leaves,
- Straw,
- Hay, and
- Compost.
Organic mulch can help all kinds of plants thrive, including plants that are not drought-tolerant.
Add Color to Your Landscape
Healthy landscapes are green. And to get green lawns and green shrubbery, you need to water your landscaping.
So how does a xeriscape landscape look healthy and vibrant?
Instead of having a lot of green plants, add colorful plants that do not require a lot of water to flourish. Examples include the following:
- Fernbush. This low-maintenance plant has white flowers that bloom in the summer while looking like an evergreen plant in the winter. This plant requires very little water to survive.
- Bridges’ penstemon. These plants stand two to three feet tall with gorgeous red-orange flowers.
- Corsican violet. This plant has bright purple flowers almost all year round. It is a perennial, drought-tolerant plant that requires very little maintenance.
- Giant hyssops. These flowers come in various colors, including red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and white. They are low-maintenance perennial plants.
- Granita raspberry ice plant. These plants bloom beautiful pink flowers to add life to your landscape.
- Western sand cherry. These low-maintenance plants change throughout the year. In the spring, white flowers bloom. In the fall, the leaves change to lively, red-orange hues.
Plants like these keep with the xeriscape theme and still make your yard look rich and stunning.
Create Outdoor Relaxation Areas
Xeriscaping is not only about planting low-maintenance plants and flowers. Using your outdoor landscape for purposes other than plants can also promote xeriscape. You can turn portions of your outdoor perimeter into gathering areas for family and friends. Add lounge chairs, tables, and hammocks.
Adding paved stones creates elegance while also reducing the amount of plants. You can also add a fire pit and fountains for style.
Use Greenery Alternatives
Instead of decorating your landscape with grass, hedges, and other plants, use rocks. Rocks can provide a beautifully accented ground to compliment your landscaping. Their use will prevent the need for additional grass and plants, which would require water to survive.
You can use rocks or stones in the place of grass. You can also have large rocks as part of your xeriscaping design.
Construct Your Landscape to Promote Irrigation
Water is essential for all plants. So one of the main objectives is to ensure that all your plants receive sufficient water. Adequate watering is especially imperative for uneven landscapes. Adding large rocks and retaining walls can help guide water from higher elevations to lower ones, reducing the need for excess water.
At Westside Grounds, our xeriscape professionals can help you design your landscape to achieve this goal.
Why Is Xeriscape Beneficial to the Environment?
Taking care of the environment is crucial. Xeriscape landscaping ideas can have positive effects on the environment, such as:
- Constricting the amount of water usage in your landscape,
- Reducing the use of fertilizers in the soil, and
- Promoting the growth of plants native to the ecosystem.
Lowering the amount of fertilizers you use and the amount of water you have to give your landscape will also decrease your maintenance costs. You will not have to spend so much on fertilizers, and your recurrent water bills will be less.
Talk to Westside Grounds about your back and front yard xeriscape ideas in Colorado.
Contact Westside Grounds with Your Xeriscaping Design Ideas
At Westside Grounds, our xeriscaping specialists have the experience and tools to help you with your xeriscape in Colorado. We have happily served the Denver and Lakewood communities since 1999. Don’t let your landscape be dull. Let it serve the environment and look gorgeous at the same time.
In addition to designing and constructing your xeriscape, we also offer maintenance services. With us, your xeriscape will look its best all year round.
Contact our representatives and learn more about how we can transform your outdoor perimeter into a radiant xeriscape that will catch the eye of all your neighbors.