Deseret Nursery Perennial Farm

The majority of xeriscaping is mearly instituting good practices. It is not a science project. Vast amounts of water can be saved by simply watering deeply, but less often.  We divide xeriscaping into four levels of participation.

Level 1

At this level you save 25% or more in water. In this landscape you have all the elements, turf grass, annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and a vegetable garden. You are watering with conventional methods, and you are watering deeply twice per week.

Level 2

At this level you are saving up to 50% of your water. You have all the elements of the landscape, turf grass, annuals, perennials, shrubs trees, and a vegetable garden. In this scenario, each of the different plant areas  are concentrated and significant enough that they receive their own dedicated watering zone. The amount of turf grass is substantially reduced, or is totally removed from either the front or the back yard.  The turf grass and annual area is watered twice a week, while all other areas are watered one a week, deeply.

Level 3

At this level you are saving up to 75% of the water. Here you are making the decision to remove all the turf grass, and the annuals are relegated to patio pots or planters. You have perennials and shrubs and trees throughout the yard, but they are divided into areas that you water once a week, every two weeks, and every three weeks. All areas are heavily mulched, to conserve moisture and supress weeds.

Level 4

At this level you are only watering deeply, once every 3-4 weeks, and you are saving 90% or more of your water. All areas are heavily mulched, and you are only using the more rugged xeric perennials, trees and shrubs. Remember there is a difference between drought beautiful and drought tolerance. Tolerance begins at about three to four weeks with perennials and shrubs, while nearly all perennials and shrubs are happy if watered once per week.

Of course you can create any variation or a combination of these scenarios. And your choice to utilize drip irrigation is up to your own level of desire and comfort. The important thing is that you do not go "huh?"  or "what?" and then do nothing. Most municipalities require that at least 30% of the landscape be in vegetation within a two year period.  Also, that nothing is higher than 36" in the parking strip.  Some municipalities enfore it strictly, others do not, and some only enforce it if a complaint is made. Complaints are made. We have seen many.