Water-Wise Gardening

Learn how you can transform your landscape into an eye-catching oasis that demands less water and low maintenance.

When summer sizzles, your yard doesn't have to fizzle. Put Xeriscape* techniques to work for you, and your open-air space will look great - no matter how high the mercury climbs.

Earth-friendly and easy to care for, Xeriscape landscaping headlines ecologically sound practices that reduce water use, maintenance, and costs. The term describes a type of landscaping developed in Colorado in the early 1980s, when decreasing water supplies and ongoing outdoor watering restrictions made it clear that traditional landscapes couldn't survive with limited hydration. Xeriscape is derived from the Greek word xeric, which means "requiring little water."

Xeriscape blends seven gardening practices to reduce irrigation needs while maximizing water efficiency. These growing techniques make any yard go green - in every sense of the word. Adapt one or more of these principles to your outdoor space, and you'll be savoring the savings of xeriscaping. Scroll down for our lists of Xeriscape plants. These drought-resistant selections will add beauty to your landscape with rainfall as the sole source of hydration.

Step-by-Step

Greet spring with an entry that boasts lively colors and textures; it’s the perfect way to tell family and friends that it’s time to head outdoors.

Design
- When working with a new outdoor space, design to service your family's living needs while reducing wasted water. Place and grade driveways and patios to return rainwater runoff to your lawn or planting beds.
  In an existing landscape, lower water use by improving soil, adding mulch (#92116), and replacing annuals with drought-tolerant perennials. Consider trading in worn concrete or brick paths for natural materials-such as shredded bark or pea gravel-laid over weed-control fabric (#156295) to permit rain to percolate into the soil.
Soil
- Water penetrates some types of soil more quickly than others, which affects how long moisture remains available to plant roots. Assess your landscape with a soil test kit (#214248), and amend it to improve its water-holding capacity. This also ensures that planting beds provide ideal growing conditions. Testing soil in lawn areas helps fine-tune fertilizer practices. And no matter what you grow, soil improvements favor healthy, deep roots. (Plants with extensive root systems withstand droughts better and need less irrigation.)
Turf
- Xeriscaping doesn't outlaw grass, but carefully reconsiders its use. Knowing that large lawn areas guzzle water, only use them where they're most needed. Swap existing turf for drought-tolerant ground covers or mulched planting beds filled with native plants, or consider a grass type that demands less water to thrive.
Plants
- Fill your yard with native and drought-tolerant selections. These beauties thrive on less water and typically require less maintenance. Embrace the "right plant, right place" philosophy. Grow plants that will adapt to the conditions your landscape offers (nonadaptive plants demand more water, fertilizer, and time).
Irrigation
- Group plants with similar water needs so that you can establish irrigation zones, yielding the most efficient water use. Choose equipment that's low flow and delivers water directly to plant roots, such as a misting system (#71218) or a soaker hose (#88201). Install an automatic rain/freeze sensor (#172955) on automated water timers (#248105). Check irrigation systems frequently for leaks, and repair as soon as possible. For best results, water early in the morning.
Mulch
- Cover exposed ground with an organic mulch, such as shredded bark, pine needles, compost, or pea gravel. Apply a 2-inch-thick layer to prevent water evaporation from the soil. The ideal time to apply mulch (for water conservation) is in the spring, following seasonal rains and before summer heat pushes moisture from the soil.
Maintenance
- A Xeriscape landscape embraces organic gardening practices. For example, providing a variety of plants, water, food, and shelter sources for wildlife-combined with chemical-free pest-control practices-favors a web of life that helps control pests naturally. Rid your yard of weeds by hand-pulling them, laying a weed-control fabric (#156295) over the area, and then adding a layer of mulch. Fertilize with natural materials that provide a slow-release nutrition source, such as compost or manure.
- *Xeriscape is a registered trademark of Denver Water, Denver, Co., and is used here with permission.

Xeriscape Plants for Your Zone

For a cottage look, you could hang this address plaque from a garden gate using picture wire, or prop it up on a potting bench.

Zones 3-5

Trees
'Crusader' thornless cockspur hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli inermis 'Crusader')-Zones 3-7, 12 to 15 feet tall and wide
American hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)-Zones 4-9, 20 to 35 feet tall and wide
Norway spruce (Picea abies)-Zones 2-7, 50 to 80 feet tall, 20 to 40 feet wide
Shrubs
Common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)-Zones 3-8, 8 to 10 feet tall, 10 to 12 feet wide
American cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum)-Zones 2-7, 8 to 12 feet tall and wide
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)-Zones 4-8, 20 feet tall and wide
Ground Covers
Goldmoss sedum (Sedum acre)-Zones 4-9, under 6 inches tall, 12 to 15 inches wide
Carpet bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)-Zones 4-8; 6 to 9 inches tall and wide/li>
Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)-Zones 3-9, 12 to 18 inches tall, 12 inches wide
Perennials
Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)-Zones 3-9, 24 to 36 inches tall, 18 to 24 inches wide
Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa)-Zones 3-8, 12 to 18 inches tall, 9 to 12 inches wide
Purple bergenia (Bergenia purpurascens)-Zones 4-7, 12 to 18 inches tall, 9 to 12 inches wide
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)-Zones 3-9, 12 to 18 inches tall, 24 to 36 inches wide
Blue fescue (Festuca glauca)-Zones 4-10, 6 inches tall, 6 to 9 inches wide
Vines
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)-Zones 3-9, more than 40 feet tall, 2 to 5 feet wide
Common trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)-Zones 4-10; 20 to 30 feet tall, 12 to 15 inches wide

Zones 6-8

Trees
Daupon (Ilex vomitoria)-Zones 7-10, 15 to 30 feet tall, 8 to 10 feet wide
Dour gum (Nyssa sylvatica)-Zones 5-9, more than 40 feet tall and wide
Carolina silver bell (Halesia carolina)-Zones 4-8, 30 to 40 feet tall, 20 feet wide
Shrubs
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)-Zones 5-9, 6 to 10 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet wide
Possumhaw (Ilex decidua)-Zones 5-9, 12 to 15 feet tall and wide
Common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)-Zones 6-8, 6 to 8 feet tall and wide
Ground Covers
Carpet bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)-Zones 4-8; 6 to 9 inches tall and wide
Big blue liriope (Liriope muscari)-Zones 6-10, 6 to 12 inches tall, 9 to 12 inches wide
Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)-Zones 8-11, 20 to 40 feet tall, 6 to 8 feet wide
Perennials
Daylily (Hemerocallis selections)-Zones 3-10, 24 to 36 inches tall and wide
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)-Zones 2-10, 24 to 36 inches tall and wide
'Moonbeam' threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam')-Zones 4-9, 18 to 24 inches tall, 15 to 18 inches wide
Feather grass (Stipa pennata)-Zones 7-10, 24 to 36 inches tall, 15 to 18 inches wide
Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens)-Zones 4-9, 12 to 18 inches tall and wide
Vines
Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)-Zones 7-9, 15 to 20 feet tall, 6 to 8 feet wide
Common trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans)-Zones 4-10; 20 to 30 feet tall, 12 to 15 inches wide

Zones 9-11

Trees
Jacaranda (Jacaranda acutifolia)-Zones 9-11, more than 40 feet tall and wide
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)-Zones 6-9, 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)-Zones 7-11, 20 to 30 feet tall, 10 to 12 feet wide
Shrubs
Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica)-Zones 6-9, 6 to 8 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet wide
Firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis)-Zones 4-9, 6 to 8 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet wide
Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica)-Zones 7-11, 4 to 6 feet tall and wide
Ground Covers
Trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis)-Zones 8-11, 3 to 4 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet wide
Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)-Zones 7-10, 3 to 4 feet tall, 3 inches wide
Perennials
Daylily (Hemerocallis selections)-Zones 3-10, 24 to 36 inches tall and wide
Hardy ice plant (Delosperma nubigenum)-Zones 4-11, under 6 inches, 12 to 15 inches wide
Vines
Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea selections)-Zones 9-11, 3 to 4 feet tall, 4 to 6 feet wide
Cat's claw (Macfadyena unguis-cati)-Zones 8-10, 20 to 30 feet tall and wide

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