AZ landscapers

When North American landscaping enthusiasts get together to discuss landscaping trends for the new millennium, the word drought is on their lips with an alarming frequency. A relatively new concept for the mainstream is also cropping up more and more, as a solution to drought and the economic costs it brings: the use of xeriscaping plants, in lieu of lawns. It may be time to look into the cheaper landscape alternative represented by xeriscaping plants.

Pronounced as if it began with the letter z, the use of "xeriscaping" originated with the Denver Colorado Water Department in 1981. A compound of the Greek xeros, dry, and "-scape," as in landscape, "xeriscape" landscaping essentially refers to a creating a landscape design that has been carefully tailored to withstand drought conditions.

Xeriscape landscaping can take many forms. For some landscapers, xeriscape landscaping simply means grouping plants with similar watering requirements together on the landscape. This makes for more efficient watering. In my opinion, this policy is more a manifestation of common sense than of true xeriscape landscaping. There is a theme that runs through landscapes that can more properly be pointed to as examples of xeriscape landscaping. That theme is a challenge to the hegemony of lawn grass. And herein lies the inevitable resistance to the use of xeriscaping plants.

America's love affair with the lawn is a well-documented chapter in the annals of landscape design history. The assumption that a landscape will have lots of grass and that it will stay green all growing season is as firmly rooted in the American psyche as the assumption that a house will have windows. A major premise of xeriscape landscaping, by contrast, is that turf grass is problematic, because it is a water-guzzler. Not that all practitioners of xeriscape landscaping totally eliminate lawns, mind you. Some simply switch to types of lawn grass that demand less water (possibly making aesthetic concessions in the switch). Others cut back on the expanse and expense of lawn, relegating the lawn area to an accent on the landscape rather than maintaining the lawn in its position as the dominant element.

Then what, you may ask, fills the void in xeriscape landscaping left by the receding lawn? To some degree, the answer to that will depend on your location. In the southwestern U.S. cacti and extended patios may dominate, perhaps entirely eliminating grass if the lawn area is small. An extended patio is simply an enlarged patio that takes up space where lawn grass would otherwise be planted. In regions not quite as desperate for water, the answer may lie in ground covers, shrubs, mulches and a reduced lawn area.

But almost regardless of where you live in North America, you should start considering cheaper alternatives to lawns. While many are aware of the danger posed by drought, relatively few seem willing to make concessions to it and look for drought-resistant alternatives to lawn grasses. Many homeowners simply watch helplessly as their lawns die sooner and sooner each summer. Else they pay dearly for the water required to prolong the lawn's life, as water becomes less and less cheap. Automatic irrigation systems, incidentally, can end up saving you money in the long run; you can learn more about them in my FAQ on lawn irrigation systems. Nonetheless, water restrictions of increasing severity are a fact with which we may have to live for the foreseeable future.

Rather than bemoaning the loss of lawn space, think of the present predicament as an opportunity to experiment. In addition to extended patio areas, walkways and other hardscape elements, a myriad of interesting xeriscaping plants and themes can be incorporated into a xeriscape landscaping plan.

AZ landscapers

Backyard landscaping does not have to be drastic or hard. You can do your own backyard landscaping or you can hire a contractor to do it all for you. The choice is yours but doing it yourself can be a lot of work, especially if you do not have any experience in this type of thing. There are all kinds of things that you will need to learn about before you start doing your own backyard landscaping. You will have to take a crash course in landscaping and this course will be jammed packed with all kinds of info that you never even knew was out there. You may be able to save some money on the work if you do your won backyard landscaping but if you screw things up too badly you may end up paying even more to get everything fixed.

If you want to get some backyard landscaping done you should only do it yourself if it is going to be a simple and straightforward job. If you need irrigation things dealt with and planes and elevations leave it to the professionals that do it for a living. These things may be over your head entirely. You need to watch out how you go about your backyard landscaping or you could end up with quite a mess on your hands.

There are a couple of great places for you to learn some more about backyard landscaping such as the local public library and the internet. You can get many backyard landscaping books out of the library and these will help you to make the best decisions as to your landscaping needs. You can also get many do it yourself tips online.

Why stay cooped up inside when you can extend the livable portion of your property by creating outdoor living spaces? It certainly isn't difficult to build outdoor living spaces. But it does take an appreciation for the "divide and conquer" approach.

We take it for granted that our houses are divided into rooms, but the concept of having similar "outdoor living spaces" may sound odd, at first. Indeed, the biggest obstacle standing in most people's way is that it just doesn't occur to them to divide up a yard so as to maximize their enjoyment of it. Not consciously, at least. Yet the more conscious we become of outdoor living spaces, the more we can tailor them to suit our needs.