You never know what stereotypes or preconceived notions you have
until they hit you in the face. As a transplanted Northeastern to the Southwest
I hadn’t realized I thought everything would be tumbleweed, cacti and lots and
lots of dirt and dust. Never had I imagined snow. But at least it’s gone by
noon.
So imagine my wonder at the varied plants and trees I found not just in my neighborhood but throughout all parts of my new home city. Vibrant colors, swaying branches, fragrant blooms.
How was this all possible? Because of a new word that came into my vocabulary: Xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is “the practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation.” It is comprised of seven principles: (1) plan and design for smart water use (2) improve soil quality (3) reduce turf and other water-wasting plants (4) Choose the right plants (5) Water efficiently (6) Mulch (7) Maintain your landscape.
A myth about xeriscaping is that it’s mostly rocks. As you can see from my photos even lilac bushes and grass are part of xeriscaped landscapes. Practically all the front yards of the houses on my street are xeriscaped. Even the one with a lawn follows all the xeriscape principles.
Minimal water. Maximum beauty. Who couldn’t get behind that?
Anna Taylor Sweringen self-publishes second chance gothic ghost stories in her Haunted Harlem series as Anna M. Taylor and steamy historicals for the Wild Rose Press as Michal Scott. You can learn more about Haunted Harlem on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/355nKv0
and Michal Scott's steamy historical novellas and short stories here: https://amzn.to/2TSHzRn.
10 comments:
thanks for allowing me to share the unexpected beauty in my new home town
Anna - it is so inspiring to see flora and fauna from other parts of the country. It is amazing how different the US geography is. Love your photos. And thanks so much for guesting on RTG today! Enjoy the SW after years of living on the East Coast.
Thanks for sharing your pictures & stories, Anna! Our lilacs are in fragrant bloom here in PA, too.
Thank you for Guesting with RTG, Anna. This post comes at the right time for me, as we're planning how to cut down on water usage this year. I had never heard of Xeriscaping. That's the method we need. Thank you!
Hi Catherine, lilacs how lovely.
Hi Sarah, so glad to be of service. Good luck.
I live in the high desert of SE Oregon and am in awe of all the wildflowers I find here. I'm glad your move turned out to be better than you'd expected. I'm excited to try out your gothic ghost stories.
Hi Paty, I'm really enjoying being a transplant. :D Hope you enjoy the stories.
Anna, I'm a bit late to the party and want to thank you for being our guest this weekend. And what a fun post! I love the pictures and you are showing that when using native plants in our landscaping, it better for the world around us. I've been moving toward a less water-dependent landscape for 30+ years. I took out the lawn to begin with. I started using a drip watering system almost 10 years ago. Right now the columbine (which I love) are blooming, along with the geraniums I bought. My lupin will be blooming. Columbine and lupin are generations from the original plants I purchased years ago. Climate is changing here in the Pacific Northwest but we're not quite to the high desert climate here in the Willamette Valley.
Hi Judith,
Your comments are welcome anytime! How cool about your drip watering system. My husband uses that in our backyard. Thanks for sharing.
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