Xeriscape, water conservation through creative landscaping, offers a viable alternative to traditional landscapes which require high inputs of water and labor. Xeriscape is not cactus and rock gardening; but, quality landscaping combining beautiful, function, and water efficiency.
Xeriscape is based on horticulturally sound principles, including: good design, through soil preparation, practical turf areas, appropriate plant selection, efficient watering techniques, mulching and proper maintenance.
Green plant and water industries across the nation have recognized Xeriscape as a proactive, education tool to curb excess water-use by the public and private sectors. In an era where water may become the limiting factor in economic growth for many regions of the nation, Xeriscape may truly be the state-of-the-art.
important awareness of garden design and its impact on water consumption, embodied in concepts such as water-wise landscaping and xeriscaping ( St. Hilaire et al., 2008 ). Xeriscaping is a method that emerged in Colorado in 1981 for developing water
Two xeriscape gardens have been designed for the purpose of educating the public about the importance of water conservation through xeriscaping. One was designed and implemented for a temporary exhibit at the South Carolina State Fair in October of 1991. The exhibit was cosponsored by the Clemson University Extension Service and Master Gardener programs.
The second garden has been designed for the Clemson University Botanical Garden. This will be a permanant addition to the botanical garden soley for display purposes. It is designed to be a model for students, professors, and the general public to observe and study principles associated with water conservation in the landscape.
Two xeriscape gardens have been designed for the purpose of educating the public about the importance of water conservation through xeriscaping. One was designed and implemented for a temporary exhibit at the South Carolina State Fair in October of 1991. The exhibit was cosponsored by the Clemson University Extension Service and Master Gardener programs.
The second garden has been designed for the Clemson University Botanical Garden. This will be a permanant addition to the botanical garden soley for display purposes. It is designed to be a model for students, professors, and the general public to observe and study principles associated with water conservation in the landscape.
Current estimates indicate that half of the water consumed in the urban environment is used to maintain landscapes. With this volume of water expended each year in landscape care, competition for the limited water exists. Xeriscaping reduces water demands while retaining an attractive landscape; however, the image of xeriscaping is frequently poor. In this project, workshops were conducted to measure audience perception, attitude, and knowledge of xeriscaping as a result of this type of activity. The effectiveness of the workshops was determined using pre- and postworkshop surveys. The audience's perception and attitude” toward xeriscaping improved in every area. The audience's general knowledge about the principles of xeriscaping increased significantly for almost every concept. Promotional aspects of attracting a large and diverse audience was the area needing further enhancement.
, respectively. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing irrigation and pruning practices to improve landscape plant water use efficiency. Xeriscaping. Many municipalities in arid and semiarid regions of the United States are advocating
a graphic of the three regions of New Mexico with text that gave the supplemental water requirements for each region. After several iterations, we settled on text that now includes the following: not suitable for xeriscaping; precipitation only
Dyssodia pentacheta, a prostrate-growing perennial Texas wildflower with potential for use in low-maintenance landscapes, was propagated in vitro and by stem cuttings under mist. Optimum rooting for IBA-treated semihardwood terminal stem cuttings (3 to 30 mm IBA) and in vitro-grown nodal segments (30 to 100 mm IBA) occurred after 4 weeks under an intermittent mist system. A 300-mm IBA basal dip was lethal to macroand microcuttings. In vitro, D. pentacheta produced more shoots per nodal explant on Woody Plant Medium (2 g Gelrite/liter) with 1 to 10 μ m BA than with combinations of BA and 0.5 μm NAA. After shoot proliferation, the shoots were subculture twice and grown on growth regulator-free medium. When maintaining D. pentacheta in vitro on media devoid of plant growth regulators, 1% sucrose was more effective than 2% for promoting shoot growth and suppressing apparent production of phenolics. Chemical names used: N-(phenylmethyl) -1H-purin-6-amine (BA); 1H-indole-3-butyric acid (IBA); 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA).
Supplying landscape plants for expanding urban centers in the southern Rocky Mountains provides a solution to limited-resource producers wishing to convert from traditional agricultural crops to higher value horticultural crops in this region. Thirty-five cultivars of ornamental junipers (Juniperus sp.) were planted in an abandoned agricultural field in Mora, N.M., to evaluate their suitability for nursery production in this region. The plantings were measured after 4 years, and cultivars were ranked for nursery suitability. The planting was then grown for an additional 16 years to examine landscape performance. Nineteen cultivars were considered suitable for nursery production with five cultivars being highly recommended based on survival and growth. Twenty-five of the cultivars were considered suitable for landscape use in the foothill region of the southern Rocky Mountains based on the 20-year measurements. Nine cultivars were classified as highly recommended. Production of ornamental junipers provides an economical alternative to traditional agricultural production systems.