Xeriscape Color Guide

If you live in an arid area, remember that "there is only a certain amount of water in the world and they aren't making any more of it." An acre of grass takes 27,000 gallons of water a week to keep green. It's hard for some to give up that patch of green grass that America equates with leisure time and suburban living. Having lived in Central Australia, I advocate for full desert landscaping using native plants along with exotics from dry countries. Xeriscaping (water-wise planting) doesn't mean a yard that is a barren moonscape. Think of colorful crape myrtles, bougainvilleas, firebushes, palms, yuccas, and many more interesting plants. Artfully placed, they provide a green view and offset the gravel that replaces grass in a water saving landscape. Mulch everything to insulate the soil and keep moisture in the ground.