Wednesday, 01 July 2009 17:07

What do all those X’s mean on our plant signs?  X stands for Xeriscape and it is a campaign introduced by the good humored Garden Centers of Colorado in order to encourage using the right plants in the right place and to preserve our water resources.

Xeriscape is most definitely not – Zero-scape- it isn’t about a landscape of just rocks and cactus but it is about grouping plants together of similar water needs so that you irrigate just the amount that those plants need. A xeriscape garden can look as lush and full as any traditional landscape and still save on water usage.

In the X-Rated program plants are given an X designation based on their water requirements.
X = plants require 1 inch of water (irrigation or rainfall) per week (drought tolerant)
XX = plants require ½ inch of water per week (Very drought tolerant)
XXX = plants require ½ inch of water every 2 weeks (Really, really drought tolerant)
Of course, these x’s are for fully established plants and new plantings will require additional water until they are well rooted in. (For annuals that’s a few weeks, for perennials a few months and for trees it could be a couple years).

A well designed xeriscape landscape will group trees, shrubs and perennials with the same X rating together and time any irrigation systems to water just the amount they need. A XXX-Rated bed may never need irrigation once it’s established.

At Eagle Crest Nursery, ask for our X-rated list of plants and check out the signs in the plant yard and you’re on your way to a beautiful and water responsible landscape. For more information, we sell the book Xeriscape Colorado (authors Ellefson and Winger) which is a great resource for all sorts of Colorado specific plant information including X ratings.

So, start gardening responsibly and get X-Rated!

 

The Caucus thanks the folks at Eagle Crest Nursery for its gardening articles.

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