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One of the landscaping notions that is gaining traction across the country seems to take a step backwards from traditional landscaping efforts. That is the practice of xeriscaping. Rather than hiring a landscaping crew to come by, dig out most of your native plants, and put foreign specimens back in their place, the new idea is more environmentally friendly. That’s because most plants, tree, bushes, and shrubs which are inserted around homes and buildings require irrigation to thrive, or even survive.
Adding irrigation is a touchy concept in an era where attaining fresh water is a daily problem for billions of people on the planet. Some people feel free to utilize hundreds of gallons of perfectly drinkable water on a single patch of landscaping. Others see the catch 22 nature of the problem.
For those so enlightened, xeriscaping offers a palatable solution. Rather than have the local tree and dirt crew plant water-hogging greenery, another solution is used. Plants which require very little water are used instead. This solution is not that hard to picture, nor implement. While a xeriscaped yard might end up having a ‘desert plant’ sort of feel to it, it will have far less of an impact on local water supplies than the alternatives. Even a yard of lush green grass will probably require more water to maintain that green color than a well designed swath of low maintenance plants and shrubs. The benefits are obvious to anyone concerned about water use and distribution. Besides being a very conscientious choice, moving to a xeriscape plan in one’s yard is likely to cut down on the water bill!
