7 Principles of Xeriscaping

By Lise Mahnke (Lise Mahnke is a Master Gardener and professional landscaper in Denver, Colorado, where they know a lot about drought.

Design and Planning

Planning is key to a successful landscape. Design is a process of problem solving.

Soil Improvement

Plants must have organic material available in the soil in order to have healthy growth. Most soils in the Rocky Mountain Region are either heavy clay, rocky, or sandy — all lacking in organic material. Incorporating organic material into the soil “feeds” the micro-organisms that make nutrients available to plants. Turning the soil incorporates oxygen — an element plant roots must have in order to grow.

Zoning of Plants

Group plants with similar cultural needs together. Plants with similar needs for light, water, and nutrients should be grouped together in beds. This will make irrigation and maintenance easier and more efficient.

Turf Alternatives

Traditional turf grasses require plenty of water, chemicals and time, and should be reserved for areas where the attributes of turf grass are most needed. Save the sturdy bluegrass lawn for high traffic, play areas and use low water and low maintenance turfs or ground covers in alternate areas.

Efficient Irrigation

Precipitation on the high plains of the Rocky Mountains is much less than the areas from where traditional landscaping hails. The Front Range area of Colorado receives only 11-15 inches of precipitation a year, with other areas along the range receiving even less. When adding supplemental water to our gardens we need to consider soil type and the water needs of the specific plants. Apply water at a rate that allows it to percolate into the root zone of the plants, without letting the water run off or evaporate on the surface of the soil.

Appropriate Maintenance

One important aspect to consider when choosing plants for the landscape and garden is what type of maintenance will be required for the years to come. For any landscape, the largest single factor in the effort required to maintain that landscape is the appropriateness of the plants to that specific site. Plants have evolved over millions of years to adapt to their natural environments. A designer’s or gardener’s desire to use a plant in a different environment seldom overcomes the plant’s capacity to adapt to a foreign condition. The cost for upkeep will be tied to how well a plant adapts to a site. The farther a plant is brought out of it’s original natural environment, the more effort (and expense) will be required to maintain that plant. This starts at the very beginning with the effort required to establish a plant and continues with the year after year expenses required to keep the plant healthy. The more foreign the site: the more cost and effort involved.