Xeriscape is a popular trend today, and many people think that this method is about creating desert-like and dry climate landscapes that can survive but that’s not really so. Let’s find out what kind of landscaping it is and whether you want to apply these ideas to your garden.
What Is Xeriscaping?
This is a landscaping method focused on water conservation, so that your landscape required little to no additional irrigation. That means choosing plants that are native for the area or can survive here, and you will reduce the amount of effort and time spent on making your landscape look lovely. So, this type of design isn’t just about desert-style landscaping, it’s about all the plants and flowers that can live in these conditions. Cactus, agave, succulents will work for hot and dry climates, while softer ones can look very lush using various plants.
The xeriscape features a lot of rocks and stones, which are enlivened with trees, shrubs and grasses. Lights illuminate the parts of the landscape.
The staircase is done with gravel steps, rocks and ornamental grasses to achieve a modern look.
The steps are lined with bright blooms, almost wildflowers that soften the rough look of the steps.
The rock garden includes greenery and bright flowers, and it looks super cool and bold.
The garden features gravel, rocks and succulents of various kinds. Succulents are colorful and eye-catchy themselves, so no complicated planting is needed.
The rock garden is paired with shrubs, grasses and the lawn isn't a classic one, it's no-mow.
The rock garden features gravel instead of mulching, and the plants are minimal: just cacti and succulents.
This textural landscape features various grasses and trees, the harscaping is done with gravel and rocks.
The minimal desert landscape shows off trees, succulents and cacti and the lawn is super small to decrease the amount of effort and water.
What Are Xeriscape Advantages?
As this is a water-wise landscape, you will be decreasing water usage, which is very eco-friendly.
You will use less fertilizers and pesticides as they won’t be necessary: the plants will grow well without them.
You help local wildlife by planting more native plants in your area.
The main point is of course less labor and time to maintain your xeriscape as this is quite a natural landscape for the area.
This desert landscape is done with groundcovers, succulents, cacti and some trees.
This lush tropical garden includes only plants and trees that can really survive here.
Sloped gardens can be xeriscapes, too, just consider the topography when designing your slot and choose proper plants.
This lush shade garden is a xeriscape. There are groundcovers, several layers of greenery, trees and flowers and all of them grow without a lot of maintenance.
Though there's a lawn, its amoung is reduced to create a xeriscape with simple shrubs and blooms.
Shrubs and blooming grouncovers are a low-maintenance and cool-looking combo for a xersicape.
This sloped xeriscape is created with rocks and pebbles, among which you can see greenery and bright flowers.
Groundcovers are among the best solutions for a xeriscape: lovely-looking, practical and a nice filler for the landscape.
How To Design A Xeriscape Garden?
Analyzing Your Garden Analysis
Consider your climate, topography, conditions and soil, don’t fight the site, embrace it! Create planting areas and group plants by their needs. For example, drought-tolerant plants can be placed in full sun areas, less tolerant ones can take partial shade and so on.
Choosing Appropriate Plants
Besides cacti and succulents, you can find many more plants for a xeriscape. Find out, which plants grow in the area or can adapt to it and require less supplied water. These are often perennials or Mediterranean plants that are already adapted to heat.
Reducing Or Eliminating Turf
Lawn requires a lot of water, fertilizer, and fuel to keep it green. Consider options other than grass, such as drought-tolerant groundcovers that are less labor and water-intensive. These are mat-forming plants that choke out weeds, control erosion, fill in liminal space, can handle foot traffic and require little maintenance.
No-mow grasses are also a good alternative: Carex texensis, creeping red fescue, chewing fescue, and hard fescue. Carex pensylvanica or Carex leavenworthii will require little more than one mowing per year, which is also much better than maintaining a classic lawn.
This is how a xeriscape in a softer climate can look: greenery and grasses, some shrubs and a water feature for a lovely look.
The raised garden bed is styled with ornamental grasses, blooms and greenery, all of them can live in this area.
Ornamental grasses don't require much care but look spectacular. Taller plants will add vertical interest.
The garden is styled with greenery, grasses and some agaves that create a chaotically natural landscape.
Ornamental grasses are always a good choice for a xeriscape, and stones and pebbles create a nice combo with them.
The fire bowl zone is surrounded with grasses and greenery that create a dense ladscape.
This curved garden bed shows off greenery, flowers and rocks and gravel on top is used instead of mulch.
The minimal landscape is designed so perfectly that it seamlessly flows into the real landscape around the house.
Organizing Irrigation
Make a drip irrigation system that will allow you to control when and how much water a plant gets and to direct the water only to the plants that need it. All plants will require more supplemental watering for the first year or two that they are becoming established, so base your watering schedule on their needs.
Improving The Soil
Well-draining soil is key to successful xeriscape landscaping. It is best to amend your soil before planting by incorporating generous amounts of compost and organic matter to improve water penetration and retention so that it’s well-draining. Rich, loose, water-holding soil will encourage good root development and lessen the plant’s need for supplemental water.
Mulching
Mulch is a great tool in a water-wise garden. It moderates soil temperature, holds moisture, slows erosion, and suppresses weeds that compete with your plants for food and water. It also gradually decomposes and feeds the soil. Apply about 4 inches of mulch at the initial planting and check it each season to see if it needs to be refreshed. The type of mulch you use will be dictated by your climate and the types of plants you’re growing.
This minimalist desert landscape is a xeriscape done with only appropriate plants for this area.
Rocks paired with colorful blooms are a cool idea for a xeriscape: the plants stand out a lot.
This bright garden is a xeriscape! The bold blooms and plants are selected to create a bright carpet around the large rock.
Mulching is a smart solution for a xeriscape: it keeps your soil watered enough.
A dry river bed is styled with bright flowers to give it a catchy look, and this is another xeriscape idea.
This large and vast garden is designed with simple drought-tolerant plants that can survive here, and the rest of the garden is covered with rocks and pebbles.
This Alpine rock garden is a lovely xeriscape: the plants are drought-tolerant and look very eye-catchy.
The stylish modern ladscape is a xeriscape with cacti and agaves plus some large rocks. (via theolivebranchnest).
This minimal garden includes a bit of shrubs, grasses and trees, all of them are low-maintenance. (via spacewelove).
Adding Gravel
Gravel gardens are a specialized form of xeriscaping in which primarily native plants are grown in soil overlaid with washed, clear gravel. The style of gardening is designed to require no additional watering, soil amendments, mulching, or weeding.
Maintaining Appropriately
Though a xeriscape is a low-maintenance landscape, it still demands some works. Proper watering, weeding, pruning, deadheading, and sensible pest management will increase the quality of your garden.
The adorable rock garden is filled with succulents and colorful flowers of different kinds. (via quietjoyathome).
Dry river beds, besides being popular features, are a nice solution for a xeriscape. (via quietjoyathome).
Lavender is a great xeriscape plant as it adds color and texture and doesn't require much care. (via casolia).
A modern xeriscape can look like that: simple blooms or wildflowers and a bit of rocks. The harscape is done with mulch and gravel. Blooming groundcovers frame the house softening its look.
This extremely lush landscape is done with succulents, grasses and bright shrubs and yes, this is a xeriscape.
The bright rock garden is done sloped, with gravel and rocks and succulents, agaves and even some blooms grow in between.
The Mediterranean-style garden features groundcovers and succulents, and the bright blooms are placed right under the fountain.
This is a super lush xeriscape with succulents, grasses, tropical plants and even some flowers.
The garden consists of rocks and pebbles, between which you can see grasses and simple flowers.
This is a small drought-tolerant landscape with cacti, blooms and gravel and pebbles instead of mulching.
The lawn is paired with a xeriscape including rocks, grasses and various simple plants.