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What is Xeriscaping?
Dated: July 20 2022
Views: 60
What is xeriscaping?
Xeriscaping is a style of landscaping that requires little to no irrigation, sometimes referred to as Water Wise landscaping. Typically consists of plants that are native or very adaptive to your climate. Having plants that naturally thrive in your climate can save water and save you time in the yard.
Image from a Kent Rodahaver Listing.
Xeriscaping or Zeroscaping
A lot of people, myself included, mispronounce or mislabel a xeriscape as zeroscape, but they are two different types of landscapes. When I purchased my last house, we could not grow grass on our front lawn if our lives depended on it. So, I start looking into other options. That's when I learned that xeriscaping and zeroscaping are two very different things. It's important to know what you're asking for if you're working with a landscaping company so let's look at the differences.
According to this article on medium.com, "Zeroscape is a landscape design made up of dirt or gravel with no plants in it." A Xeriscape does have plants, but the goal is to reduce water use and is considered low maintenance. When xeriscaping the goal is to use plants that thrive in your natural climate. Typically there is little to no grass and plants are often in gravel or mulched areas.
As you can see if you want some plants but ask for zeroscaping instead of xeriscaping, you may end up with no plants and just gravel or dirt. Another common misconception is that xeriscaping is only for desert climates.
Not Just Desert Plants
Many people think this type of landscaping only consists of desert plants, like succulents or cacti, but xeriscaping can consist of a variety of plants and even still contain some terf areas as well. You don't need to spend a ton of money on unique or specialty varieties.
7 Principles of Xeriscaping
Green lawns are popular and the goal for many homeowners. But, xeriscaping could be a great alternative that can bring life to your yard and add some unique curb appeal.
The Xeriscape Learning Center and Design Garden in Corpus Christi Texas share seven principles for successful xeriscaping and we think these can also apply to Florida homeowners like you.
- Planning: Consider who, what, and how the space will be used.
- Soil: It's important to learn about your soil and what amendments you may need for your plants to thrive.
- Intentionally Use Grass: You can still have grass areas in your yard. You can use them as accent features or areas for specific activities if you have kids or pets.
- Plant Selection: Find plants that thrive in your climate, consider sun needs, plants that can adapt, and look for variety when it comes to color and height.
- Water: Learn how to water efficiently.
- Mulch: Use any kind of mulch to that works for your area.
- Maintenance: Consider how much work you can or are willing to do.
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All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Updated on September 13, 2026 5:55 PM UTC
