Seven Horticultural Principles of Xeriscape
A water-efficient landscape begins with Weather-Wise Watering. Whether it’s raining in June or dry in December, Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) always values responsible water use. That’s why we encourage Weather-Wise Watering and water-efficient landscaping.
Follow these steps from start to finish for a whole new landscape, or simply pick a step to implement into your existing landscape one at a time. Our Water-Efficient Landscape Guide website is dedicated to these principles and offers a searchable database of plants that do well in our high-desert climate.
- Plan and design your landscape to match the regional climate and soil conditions
- Soil preparation is fundamental to water-efficient landscapes, as well as an understanding of how your landscape’s soil interacts with water
- Appropriate plant selection and planting the right plants in the right place, grouping them together according to similar water needs
- Practical turf grass areas and shapes, reducing potential for over-irrigation of turf grass
- Use of mulch around plants and trees keeps water in the soil around plant roots
- Irrigation planning and using a zoned system that will most effectively deliver water to plants with the least amount of waste
- Landscape maintenance and proper irrigation are the keys to maintaining a water-efficient landscape
Tours & Workshops
We are here to help. From irrigation start-up to winterization, TMWA’s Conservation Department has workshops and tours to help you understand the Weather-Wise needs of your landscape throughout the seasons. Email us at conservation@tmwa.com or call us at 834-8005.
The Hug High Garden is a large demonstration of how successful a bioregional garden, including a vegetable patch, can be in our high-desert climate. To see the seven xeriscape principles at work, visit our calendar of tours and workshops at the garden.
