Xeriscaping
The use of plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate is emphasized, and care is taken to avoid losing water to evaporation and runoff.
Xeriscaping produces greenspaces that require low amounts of maintenance and irrigation, and promote biodiversity; however, due to societal norms and lack of landscape understanding, public perception of xeriscaping has frequently been negative, as some assume that these types of landscapes are ugly expanses of just cactus and gravel.
[5] Nancy Leavitt, an Environmental Planner with Denver Water, coined the term xeriscape in 1981 by combining landscape with the Greek prefix xero-, from ξηρός (xēros), meaning 'dry'.
Xeriscaping has the potential to reduce water usage and maintenance, improve biodiversity, lower pollution, as well as mitigate heat within urban areas; however, the effectiveness of this sustainable process has not been evaluated on a long-term large-scale basis.
[4] Xeriscaping aims to help preserve water for people and animals amidst an increase in droughts brought about by climate change.
Assuming a water usage reduction of 30% it was found that a city can save roughly $2 million annually (however, this exact value is dependent on location).
[13] The use of native plants lowers the necessity of watering as the vegetation has already adapted to thrive in the climate and does not require assistance with irrigation or fertilization.
UHI refers to the phenomenon in which urban areas are found to be hotter than neighboring rural sites due to large amounts of human activity.
[21] Some US states (such as Texas and Florida) have passed legislation that allows homeowners to design lawns using xeriscaping methods, by prohibiting HOAs from imposing restrictions (e.g. on plant types) that are not "reasonable".
Buyers as far away as Europe and Asia can end up with yuccas, agaves, and ocotillos uprooted illegally from southern North America and shipped overseas.
[23] Native grasses (cool season) such as bluegrass and tall fescue, are greenest in the spring and fall and go dormant in the high heat of the summer.
Fine fescues can provide substantial water savings and are best used in areas that receive low traffic or highly shaded locations.
Trees, shrubs, and perennials will need occasional pruning to remove dead stems, promote blooming, or control height and spread.
[24] In the United States, turf grasses are so common that it is the single most irrigated nonfood crop by surface area, covering nearly 128,000 square kilometres (49,000 sq mi).
[4] Despite the high water, fertilizer, and maintenance costs associated with lawns, they have become the social norm in urban and suburban areas, even if they are rarely used for recreational or other purposes.
The method calls for the planting naturally occurring trees and shrubbery densely into small compact areas, that can range from a size of a tennis court to a parking space.
