Albuquerque Xeriscape Landscaping Explained – Part Two

Xeriscaping is a method of designing landscapes to lower or take away the requirement of irrigation. In most cases this equates to landscaping using xeriscaping requiring a small amount of water each week or no water whatsoever, other than the water supplied by natural means, i.e. rain. The goal here is to provide home owners and business owners an explanation of what xeriscaping is so they can learn about it and perhaps consider landscaping their home with it here in the beautiful city of Albuquerque, NM.

Types of Xeriscaping Plants

Studies have shown xeriscaping can lower water use from 40 to 80 percent, depending on the drip irrigation system watering schedule and levels of daily or semi-daily watering use. Homes with watering consumption levels of 1500 gallons a month for landscaping have seen their water consumption drop down to as low as 400 gallons a month.

Xeriscaping landscaping focuses directly on targeted drip lines to each individual plant. Drip bubblers and soaker hoses deliver water to each installed plant in the design, which lowers wasted water and needless evaporation. Drip line bubblers deliver specific amounts of water 1/2 gallon to 2 gallons per hour) directly to the plant. Irrigation systems are programmed to turn on and off at specific times of the day, as well as deliver specific amounts of water throughout the landscaping each time the systems is turned on and runs This system, coupled with plant installations containing enough mulch means water delivered to the plant, goes directly to it and it keeps the ground directly around the plant moist, keeping the plant hydrated over a longer period of time. Xeriscape landscaping requires lower amounts of ongoing care because primary features include low maintenance landscaping rocks, landscaping bed cover like pecan shells and bark chips and far fewer plants, making it less costly and far easier to maintain.

Plants acclimated to dry environments of the Southwest like Albuquerque, NM, are called xerophytes. The arid climate of Albuquerque, NM gives landscaping companies like R & S Landscaping, the ability to plant a variety of different types of xerophytes like Acacia, Peppermint, Weeping Bottlebrush, and Incense Cedar.

The southwest natural landscapes are full of beautiful cactus. Cactus species native to both North American and South America number are plentiful, giving landscaping companies like R & S Landscaping in Albuquerque, NM a wide selection to choose from when creating landscape designs for its clients. Cactus has developed a wide selection of physical features over its lifetime including needles, big, circular thick leaves and wax skin covers, each of which help it last long and deal with the annual rain fall and droughts of the southwest

Several other plants are great for xeriscaping including Acacia, Peppermint, Weeping Bottlebrush, Incense Cedar, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Olive, Pine, California Pepper, Bottle Tree, Palo Verde, Western Redbud, Desert Willow, Crepe Myrtle, Chilean Mesquite, Pomegranate, Oak, Idaho Locust, Chaste Tree, Bearberry, Shrubby Wormwood, California Lilac, Brittlebush, Flannelbush, Christmasberry, Calif. Tree Mallow, Purple Sage, Oregon Grape, Yellow Bells, Blue Hibiscus, RockRose, Grevillea, Rose of Sharon,
Lavender, Cape Plumbago, Indian Hawthorne, Red Flowering Currant, Cape Honeysuckle, and Shinyu Xylosma

.