As I mentioned before, xeriscaping is a method where you create self sufficient plants allowing you to conserve water, and ultimately time and money.
I will get straight into the principles of Xeriscaping:
1. The fundamental element to xeriscaping is water conservation. Your landscaping should be made to reduce the amount of water applied and maximize the use of natural precipitation.
2. You need to have the proper soil for xeriscaping. The ideal soil in a water conserving landscape will have to accomplish two things simultaneously; drain quickly and store water at the same time.
To achieve this you need to increase the amount of organic material in your soil and keep it well aerated.
3. Reduce the size of turf areas as much however retain some turf for open space which will add functionality and visual appeal.
4. Select appropriate plants for your landscaping. To get the best results, you should be selecting plants native to your region.
You should be selecting drought resistant plants; these are generally plants which have small leaves that are thick, glossy, silver-grey or fuzzy. These characteristics will help them save water.
Buy plants for their ultimate size, reducing the pruning maintenance you will have to perform.
5. Cover the soil’s surface around plants with mulch; this could be leaves, coarse compost, pine needles, bark, gravel or wood chips. This helps retain the soil’s moisture and temperature while preventing erosion. For this to be effective the mulch needs to be several inches thick and there should be no bare areas of soil.
6. Irrigation is incorporated in any garden, however as water conservation is the goal you should be avoiding over watering. To get this done, use soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems which offer the easiest and most efficient water for xeriscapes as they deliver water directly to the base of the plants.
7. Low maintenance will be a benefit you will come to expect of a xeriscape. Keeping the weed from growing from the mulch will require you to thicken the layer of mulch. Turf areas should not be cut too short, because taller grass is natural mulch that can shade roots and retain moisture. Avoid overfertilizing your xeriscape as well.
With the principles of xeriscaping at your disposal you should be able to create your very own xeriscape in no time.
Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com
