Xeriscaping Vs. Lawns

Rethinking your landscape.

August 8, 2016

Daisen-in2 Americans have been obsessing about lawns since the early 20th Century. Over the years, lawns have become a symbol of prosperity, prestige and tradition, but today we have an opportunity to change the convention that supports lawns in front of every house and start new traditions that celebrate different types of landscaping.

According to Utah Division of Water Resources Conservation, a typical Utah household uses about 67 percent of their total water outdoors. This means that 2/3 of our water utilization is being used on thirsty landscapes. That’s a lot of water wasted, especially considering that Utah is a desert and the second driest state in the nation!

You can update your landscaping to become more environmentally friendly by using drought tolerant, water wise and native plants. In addition, Xeriscaping is a style of landscaping that uses little to no irrigation.

“Many people have a misunderstanding of what Xeriscape actually is, which is understandable because there are so few examples of Xeriscape done right!” explains Marita Tewes, Horticulture Director for Red Butte Gardens, “Xeriscape is not gravel and cactus, it is not only xeric plants. A well-designed Xeriscape has room for a practical turf area and room for plants that require more water, but all plants are designed, planted and irrigated by their hydrozone, or watering requirements.”

Xeriscaping principles suggest starting off with a good design plan and incorporating low-water-use plants. There are several great garden stores throughout Utah that can help you find low-water-use plants and provide useful suggestions.