getting my xeriscaping on
April 14, 2011 § Leave a comment
A week ago I knew little about gardening much less about xeriscaping, but as a resident of Colorado it’s pretty important to learn about as you plan a garden. Xeriscaping was a term that was coined by the Denver water department and refers to landscape design that minimizes water use. It’s pretty important living in an area that’s as dry as it is here.
When I always used to think about dry climates, I would always think of muted barren desert plants, but when we lived in LA I was introduced to a whole new world of succelents that had a wide range of colors & textures. My husband planted a garden for us off our back balcony looking out over Palos Verdes & Catalina Island (and power lines).
To learn more about the xeric plants I could get locally, I paid a visit to a local nursery called Sturtz & Copeland where Todd showed me around, pointing out everything from hearty groundcover to beautiful flowering shrubs. They also offer a range of classes at the nursery that teach you how to create your own xeric garden.
Beyond the hens & chicks (2nd from the right) which are great for rocky terraces, flax, Spanish Gold Broom and Sage (left to right) are great water-saving choices that still yield beautiful flowers. On High Country Gardens’ website they have a xeric garden package you can buy for $124 that includes 22 plants that are not only beautiful to look at but smell amazing as well (except to deer and rabbits apparently). They include lavender, flowering oregano, licorice mint and lemon thyme (left to right below). The agastache rupestris (licorice mint) also has the benefit of attracting hummingbirds. Who doesn’t love those little guys?
I feel the same way about gardens as I do about furnishing a house. I like when it looks natural and lived in vs perfectly manicured & stuffy. The woman whose garden is pictured at the top of this post writes in her blog: “the scent of the garden in the morning feels like vacation”. I love the idea of creating a natural garden half as beautiful as hers that I could enjoy walking out to in the morning.
With a xeric garden I’ll be able to do just that vs slaving away everyday watering & I’ll also find myself with a much lower water bill each month.
52 To Do 
Leave a Reply