By Malachi Leo. Where grass fails, many others thrive. San Antonio’s wide selection of drought-hardy plants makes it possible to have a lush, green garden that requires almost zero water.
When you hear the word “xeriscape,” many thoughts may come to mind. Namely, the spelling of the word. But also visions of rocks and the occasional dotting of cacti and other desert dwelling selections.
But what does xeriscape really mean, and where did that word come from?
First coined by Denver Water in 1981, it refers to a landscape that requires minimal additional water or maintenance to thrive. That’s it. No rocks mentioned anywhere, folks.
There are seven principles of xeriscaping. In San Antonio, we’re lucky to have a wide selection of xeric plants that don’t need us to baby them. It is entirely possible to have a lush, green garden that requires very little water. And there’s a drought tolerant plant for every need — whether you’re looking for beautiful blooms or climbing vines. Trees, shrubs, groundcover, nothing is off limits.
This is why I undertook the same journey that I’m now encouraging you to do. My situation was like that of many others: a barren landscape that was left gasping for air after being decimated by our ongoing drought.
Where grass fails, many others thrive. Don’t let your landscape be a “zeroscape” that provides no benefit to our pollinators while also trapping heat around your home, baking your plants at the root.
To cover my fences, I opted for passionflowers that would provide beautiful flowers, tasty fruit and a place for butterflies and other pollinators to thrive. On one side I put chile pequin, which needs no introduction to a South Texas native. This plant is perfectly content growing in alleys and looks good doing it, while providing food for mockingbirds.
For the center of my backyard, I chose pink pride of Barbados that provides a glamorous twist on a classic WaterSaver workhorse.
For the front yard, pink and red Turk’s cap greet me and the hummingbirds at the door. Mystic spires salvia, spineless prickly pear, lavender and mistflower wave at pollinating passersby from my mailbox.
With so many different styles of xeric gardening, the sky truly is the limit.
If you want to be inspired and enjoy a little nature walk, visit the WaterSaver Community at San Antonio Botanical Garden! There, you’ll spot five facades with different landscape styles that are all sustained without in-ground irrigation.
Some extra tips I can offer are to make sure your garden has plants that are staggered in terms of when they look their best. You don’t want a garden that will flourish in the spring and fall flat in autumn. Instead, select a variety of plants who will each be a star during their preferred season.
Backbone plants, such as trees and shrubs, lend structure to your garden and give it bulk. These plants are a constant presence even during the winter and will lend some of their evergreen magic to the landscape.
No matter what style you choose or approach you take, you’ll enjoy the benefit of a beautiful landscape and a much lower water bill.
Malachi Leo, is a public health graduate and native San Antonian. Working as a conservation consultant under the irrigation plan review umbrella, he helps to ensure that irrigation systems going into the ground meet state and city standards. When he’s not doing that, you’ll find him exploring restaurants in town—pointing out native plants he recognizes to his friends along the way.
