Xeriscaping - Low Water Landscaping

The fundamental element of Xeriscaping design is water conservation. Over 50% of residential water use is applied to landscapes and lawns and careful Xeriscape design can reduce landscape water use by 50% to 75%. Our philosophy places a heavy focus on using native plants and succulents that are already acclimated to our climate and rain patterns. This creates a natural looking beautiful garden that can either contain few plants with a focus on sculptural rocks and other features or be a profusion of lush native plants.

Benefits of Xeriscaping

• Save Water - lowering your water bills and helping to conserve natural water resources such as the everglades and Lake Ocechobee.

• Less Maintenance - aside from occasional pruning and weeding maintenance is minimal making gardening simple and stress free. 

• No Fertilizers or Pesticides - using native plants along with mulch and compost eliminates the need for chemical supplements, reducing toxic run-off.

• Pollution Free - the burning of fossil fuels from mowers and blowers is minimized or eliminated with the use of minimal turf areas. Small turf areas can easily be maintained with a reel mower.

• Provides Wildlife Habitat - the use of native plants offers a familiar and varied habitat for local wildlife. Many of the keys native plants are a haven for butterflies.

        
In addition, since Xeriscaping focuses on native plants, it is a great way to preserve native plant species and to celebrate the local flora. Gardens made with non-native plants can start to look rather artificial, and they also require a great deal of work, since these plants may not be accustomed to the prevailing conditions. We work closely with a local botanist and nursery who have done a great deal of research and hard work to revive native plant species. Native plants are accustomed to our weather conditions and will thrive with minimal work or additional watering once they are established.

Finally, Xeriscaping embodies a wide range of aesthetic preferences, from sparse zen gardens to complex, multi-layered riots of color. Xeriscaping can be used to showcase a collection of rocks and sculpture gathered in the gardener's travels, or it can make a lush escape from the real world. In both cases, Xeriscaping is intimately connected with the land.

As is the case with a regular garden, a Xeriscaped garden requires a lot of work in the beginning, but conserves water over time. Detailed landscaping plans should be drawn up, with plots of what is going to be planted where, so that the garden will have a cohesive and pleasant look when it is finished. Once things are planted and established, the garden will need to occasional weeding, but It should not require extensive irrigation, as is the case with a more conventional garden. Depending on the desired look, some gardeners also invest time and energy into trimming and shaping the plants in a Xeriscaped garden, while others prefer to let their plants run rampant so that the garden mimics the natural environment more closely.