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.
