Xeriscaping vs "Zero"scaping, Part II: Getting started on you new Xeriscape

Please, resist with all your might, the urge to simply rip out the thirsty grass and replace it with gravel. Take a deep breathe and repeat several times; "I will not zero-scape, I will not zero-scape."

Buchloe dactyloides 'Legacy®'Buffalo Grass
Item # 27050 		Buchloe dactyloides Legacy®
Legacy® Buffalo Grass

1 to 3 flats $44.95
4 to 12 flats $42.95
13 to 24 flats $40.95
25 or more $38.95
Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita'
Item # 27055 		Bouteloua gracilis 'Hachita' Plugs
'Hachita' Blue Grama Grass Plugs

1 to 3 flats $44.95
4 to 12 flats $42.95
13 or more $40.95
The Jumbo Waterwise Garden
Item # 99503 		The Jumbo Waterwise Garden

each $93.82
Rhus trilobata 'Autumn Amber'
Item # 82561 		Rhus trilobata 'Autumn Amber'
Creeping Three-Leaf Sumac

Each $7.99
3 or more $7.79

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With more and more people wanting to make the change to a Xeric landscape, I have been asked many questions about how to get it done. For example; How do you get started going from a water guzzling landscape to a water conserving one? Where do you begin? How do you know when you’re done? These are all important questions that must be answered if the conversion is to be successful.

Don’t start your conversion by ripping out all your old plants and roto-tilling the lawn. You’ll risk abandoning the project in mid-stream because it becomes overwhelming. Take the time to plan it out. Simplify this big renovation project by breaking it down into smaller projects. Complete each small project before moving on to the next.

In traditional landscapes, the best place to start is downsizing or eliminating with the lawn. Kentucky Blue grass (or other high water) lawns typically soak up 75% of a landscapes total water use! If you want to keep some or all of the lawn area, replace the high water grass with either the ‘Low Work and Water’ dwarf fescue or a native type turf grass like Legacy™ Buffalo grass or Blue Grama grass.

To conserve water, many homeowners are planting xeric groundcovers instead of grass lawns. There are excellent woody groundcovers like Rhus ‘Autumn Amber’, Genista lydia or creeping junipers that will beautifully cover large areas using far less water and much less maintenance than grass lawns. Plant some groupings of taller flowering shrubs and/or ornamental grasses into these woody groundcovers for additional color, height variation and texture.

Take the opportunity to plant some new flower beds or increase the size of existing ones by appropriating space from the old lawn area. By using xeric perennials, groundcovers and ornamental grasses these flower beds will provide big benefits with greatly decreased water use.

As part of the lawn removal or downsizing, plan to re-work your sprinkler system to water only where there is lawn or groundcover. Flower beds and trees left standing where they used to be surrounded with turf, will need their own irrigation that can be set to water separately from the sprinklers.

In the dry western US, the xeriscape conversion planning process includes designing a new, more water efficient irrigation system. As part of the irrigation system analysis, take the time to study how water that comes off your roof and hard surfaces moves across your landscape. It’s ironic that we do our very best to drain this water off to the street curb only to replace it later with irrigation water. I highly recommend including passive water harvesting (using gravity to move water) as a part of your overall plan to irrigate. Water harvesting and irrigation systems can work well together. (More on this topic in another article.)

Please, resist with all your might, the urge to simply rip out the thirsty grass and replace it with gravel. Take a deep breathe and repeat several times; “I will not zero-scape, I will not zero-scape.”

David Salman is the President and Chief Horticulturist at High Country Gardens. In 2008, he was a distinguished recipient of the AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 2008 Great American Gardeners Award.

Read Part 1 of ‘Xeriscaping vs. Zero-scaping’

Learn More About Xeriscaping, The High Country Gardens Way.