diy xeriscape

my name is catherine moravec and iwork for colorado springs utilities as a water conservation specialist. well xeriscape is just simply a really smart approach to landscapingthat's based on landscaping techniques, wateringpractices and plant choices that are adapted to ourlocal soils, our climate and our limitedwater resources. i think that one of the common thingsthat we see is that people get really overwhelmed because it can seem like a giant project.

you don't know where to start, you don'thave very much familiarity with the topic. so one way to overcome that is to simplystart with certain areas of your yard or maybejust even choosing one area and working on that and as you learnfrom that one area, you can take that knowledge and thatexperience and then tackle other parts as well. when you decide to take out grass andyou're goin to just put in another type of landscaping,sometimes people aren't sure what to put in the place of grass because they're not reallyfamiliar with other types of landscaping. so if you're gonna be removing a largeportion of grass you want to certainly include

some other features like dry stream beds,pathways, patios, boulders and the reason forthat is all those features they break up the space into moremanageable chunks so that they're easier to landscape butalso it helps to find the uses of thatparticular area. i think there's a really commonmisconception out there that when they say the words xeriscape that that means removing all the grass putting down gravel mulchand then putting some yucca and cacti into that gravel mulch. and that'sreally not what xeriscape is about.

xeriscape is really just moreof an approach to landscaping and that approach can include reasonably sized areas of lawn, especially if that lawn is serving a purpose for thehomeowner. xeriscapes and low water landscapes canbe really interesting and really beautiful. there are some outstandingly attractiveplants out there that have bright flowers, beautiful colors, great texture in the leaves that reallyreally are suited to making a home beautiful. there are such a wide variety of plantsto choose from. we can choose native plants that growhere in colorado,

we can choose plants that grow from thenato southwest, desert southwest, we can choose plantsthat are near to other parts of the world that also have a semi-arid climate. and because we can source plants fromall these different places we have this huge pallet to choose from.it is important to choose plants that will survive at your site so youneed to choose things that will match or cold hardinesszone and the exposure that you've got in your house. xeriscape really is the ideal option for landscaping homes in colorado springs number one, because its taking intoaccount all the limitations

that we live in in this climate. oursoil types, our limited water resources, and our climate, but in addition, it also takes intoaccount to the fact that our community water supply we have to bereally responsible with it. and what we use in our landscapes affects our communities stability in terms of our water supply.