by
Dave Waltzer
At this point in time water conservation in California is still voluntary, but mandatory conservation measures are almost inevitable. You can reduce your outdoor water consumption up to 70% by converting your water guzzling garden to a beautiful but water-wise Xeriscape. The most egregious offender when it comes to guzzling thousands of gallons of water is … your lawn! Just keeping that glorified weed-bed green uses 25 gallons of water per square foot per year. If your water district uses a cost based conservation enforcement system, you are soon going to be paying thousands of extra dollars on your water bill to maintain it. Getting rid of your grass and replacing it with a water-efficient xeriscape is the smartest move. Simply put, a xeriscape is a drought tolerant landscape style often incorporating inanimate objects such as boulders, and contour (mounding) to create contrast and better drainage. There is a misconception that drought tolerant gardens are by necessity dry and bleak in appearance. This is absolutely untrue. In fact, a well designed xeriscape can be green and vibrantly colorful, even lush, and far more interesting and pleasing to the eye than your former lawn. Click any of the images below to full size and see just some of the creative landscape possibilities possible with low water xeriscape. When I design a xeriscape, my goal is to create a garden that meets the following criteria:
And here is the even better news. Your local water district will help pay for your xeriscape installation. If you are converting a lawn to a xeriscape, water departments are offering up to a dollar per square foot toward the installation. With all these things in mind
Call (831) 252-0121 or Contact Earth Art today for an estimate, consultation or to get started.
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Dave WalzerLandscape Design Contractor and Horticulturalist in the Santa Cruz, CA area. Archives
January 2014
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