Drought Tolerant Ornamental Grasses - Salt Lake City  Xeriscape doesn't mean you need to remove your landscape and replace it with rocks and cactus.  Fortunately, there are hundreds of plants that can be used in a waterwise design.  Here are some things to consider when choosing plants for your Xeriscape:  - Determine which plants need to stay and which plants need to go.  You might be surprised to find that many perennials and shrubs are drought tolerant and you can keep them.  For example, lilacs, roses and iris don't need much water.  - Group plan ..read more

 It's a wonderful thing to provide food for pollinators and conserve water at the same time.  Utah gardeners  are enthusiastic about supporting our insect friends.  Here is a list of perennials that are low to moderate in their water needs and provide nectar for bees and butterflies.   catmint nepeta asters milkweed agastache bachelor buttons butterfly bush oregano jupiter's beard lavender penstemon  russian sage gaura Butterfly visiting a Penstemon cyananthus (Wasatch Penstemon) in Utah, Big Cottonwood Canyon ..read more

 This means watering in ways that are not wasteful.  We are experiencing drought conditions in Utah in 2022.  There will likely be restrictions in landscape water use.  It is more important than ever to be efficient.  We need to get away from the one-size-fits-all, fix-it-and-forget-it landscape watering systems and move towards a more conscious, thoughtful and deliberate approach.  We need to be engaged with the watering of the landscape.  Here are some ideas about watering efficiently:  - Zones - Group plants with similar needs together and water accor ..read more

 This doesn't mean you need to remove ALL of your turf grass lawn.  Although, you certainly can.  Turf has it's place.  Take some time to look around your yard and decide where the lawn is useful and where it is not.  Maybe break it down like this: Good places to have turf: - play areas for kids and dogs - areas for entertaining;  people can sit on lawn or play games like croquet, volleyball and badminton - areas where it will get some shade in the afternoon or evening - high foot traffic areas like side yard paths, the place the mail carrier walks or along the si ..read more

 Sometimes the best thing for soil is just to leave it alone.  If you are installing a xeriscape,  you might not need much in the way of soil amendments.  Waterwise Mediterranean plants and a lot of Utah Native Plants don't thrive in rich soils and prefer the sandy or clay soils that already exist in our area.  On the other hand, if you are building a vegetable garden or other beds with plants that are "heavy feeders" then you will need amendments to enrich the soil.   One thing that is highly recommended is to get a soil test from Utah State University ..read more

 There are some ideas floating around out there about Xeriscaping that are not true.  Here is a list of some common misconceptions: - FALSE:  Zeroscape.  Zero water, zero plants, zero lawn, etc.                          - true:  There is no such thing as "Zeroscape".  The correct term is "Xeriscape".  It means  we can have the landscape elements we desire as long as we are irrigating efficiently and reducing the size of elements that need a lot of water (like the lawn).   - FALSE ..read more

 There are seven principles of Xeriscape.  They were created by the Denver Water Department in the early 1980's.  The first principle is Design.  Some thoughtful planning should go into the design of a water-wise landscape. You may want to consider these things:  - Efficient water use and method of irrigation:  How will you water?  And how can you water efficiently?  - Use of landscape:  Do you need some turf grass areas for kids and pets and entertaining?  Can you eliminate turf grass in areas where it is not used, like the parking strip? &nbs ..read more

 The New Year 2022 is here and it's time to start thinking about gardening!  The last two summers in Utah have been very hot and dry.  Many of us are planning and redesigning landscapes that will require less water.  There is a lot of information available about the concept of "xeriscape" and a lot of misconceptions.  In the next several posts, I will be discussing the definitions, principles and misconceptions surrounding the topic of xeriscaping.  I hope this will help create a better understanding of what it is and what it isn't. For starters, here is the lis ..read more

 This drought is really setting in and landscapes in Utah are suffering.  Many locations are experiencing restrictions on landscape water.  I some areas, we are being asked to water only twice a week.  Here is a list of waterwise shrubs that will thrive in Utah. These shrubs will require only a moderate amount of water (deep soaking every 7 to 10 days from mid June to late August, no water spring and fall).  However, they will need extra water when planted and for a few weeks after so that the roots can become established.  Here is the list: larger shrubs: hedge r ..read more

 You can plant during a heatwave and drought, but the challenge of keeping the root zone damp will be extra difficult.  A plant needs moist soil to become established and spread it's roots.  Waterwise and drought tolerant plants need time and water to send out their wide and deep network of roots before they can handle heat and lack of moisture.  Also, if you are experiencing water restrictions, keeping the water going for a new planting might not be possible.   Fall and spring are better for plant establishment.  Hopefully, some rainstorms and cooler temperatures ..read more