Desert dwellers are often inspired to get out to enjoy the out of doors when the long hot summer days are replaced by the cooler days of fall. Many homeowners turn their attention to landscaping and fall gardening with the friendlier temperatures.
One of our favorite resources for mindful planting and water conservation is Water-Use it Wisely (WUIW).
The mission of WUIW is to keep water conservation at the forefront of people’s minds by educating residents of Arizona on the benefits of saving water, and how easy it is to do so. According to Their website Water-Use it Wisely serves as a trusted source of information with over 100 easy water-saving tips, inspiring stories about water in Arizona, engaging blog topics, great advice on desert landscaping, education pages for teachers, fun games for kids, and much more.
This month WUIW is highlighting xeriscape demonstration gardens. Sponsored by local cities or water providers, they often offer free admission along with inspiring garden ideas featuring area-friendly plants. Donna DiFrancesco, a Conservation Coordinator at the City of Mesa who is a WUIW partner, encourages Arizonans to enjoy the gardens with family and friends over the holidays! Exploring a demonstration garden offers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while discovering the amazing beauty of desert plants. Educational signage and landscape examples demonstrate ways to enhance your own home landscape.
For instance, the Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden highlights different types of sustainable gardens including a habitat and cactus garden. Their rain garden demonstrates how to harvest rainwater by capturing it on your property before it runs down the street. Who doesn’t love free water?
Did you know that you could have an edible landscape with desert plants? The desert forest area, titled ‘Eat Your Yard’, features edible trees and shrubs for animals and people. Edible gardens provide clean water, shelter and shade and help to conserve water.
The Scottsdale Xeriscape Garden has its own unique theme, Demonstrating the Beauty of Saving Water. Not only does the garden highlight water-saving plants, but they have also added interesting architectural features like gabion walls, shade sails and stone walls. It is well worth a visit as the six-acre site features 7,000 Arizona-friendly plants and 200 plant species.
The garden is also a certified National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Habitat. This certified status can be achieved by homeowners as well.
Carefree Desert Gardens is another desert jewel. This garden features desert plants and artwork on four acres. It offers a chance to appreciate a variety of desert plants such as the Boojum tree, Quiver tree, Joshua tree and the crested saguaro to name a few.
Mayor John Crane says, “We are blessed to have such a jewel in the center of our Town and encourage everyone to share in the experience.”
Find a list of Arizona cities that offer rebates for lawn removal at the bottom of this URL:
wateruseitwisely.com/blog/trade-your-water-thirsty-grass-for-a-xeriscape
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Resource: Explore Arizona’s Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens, recently published at Water – Use It Wisely website.
CONTENT PARTNER | Water – Use It Wisely
Water – Use It Wisely has been making a ‘splash’ with water-saving ideas for 25 years! It is a collaborative effort of 21 partners including the municipalities of Avondale, Buckeye, Chandler, El Mirage, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Surprise, Tempe, Tucson, and Yuma, as well as Central Arizona Project/CAGRD, EPCOR Water, Global Water Resources, and Salt River Project.
PODCAST
November 16, 2024
Many homeowners turn their attention to landscaping and fall gardening with the friendlier temperatures. One of our favorite resources for mindful planting and water conservation is Water-Use it Wisely Guests Donna DiFrancesco and Victoria Caster discuss the many plants and trees that work well in our climate and the many xeriscape gardens you can visit for ideas in your landscape.
Podcast Archive Page With Expanded Content
PHOTO CREDIT
- City of Glendale
- City of Carefree
- City of Scottsdale
- Water – Use It Wisely
