XERISCAPING... WHAT IS IT?

Xeriscape refers to the landscaping concept where water is used wisely and not squandered. Contrary to popular belief it doesn’t mean “dry” landscaping as the word xeric might imply. Rather, with Xeriscaping plants are grouped according to their water needs. Thus you would not plant a thirsty cottonwood near a dryland or xeric sagebrush. You would plant cottonwood near red-twigged dogwood, and sagebrush near Tri-lobe Sumac. See? It’s just common sense that begs us to take a better look at how we plan our landscaping. One of Xeriscaping’s significant benefits is water conservation, and where water is metered this will result in large savings. Installing an irrigation system with zones timed for different water needs helps reach the Xeriscape goal of wise water use. For more information, visit The Montana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Xeriscape Colorado! at www.xeriscape.org.