How Is Xeriscaping With Native Plants More Sustainable Than Traditional Landscaping?
What Is Xeriscaping?
Xeriscaping is a landscaping philosophy that aims to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation; in other words, it’s landscaping that limits the need for humans to water plants.
At its most extreme form, xeriscaping might involve eliminating all plants from a given location, but this is uncommon. While decorative rocks and gravel require no water at all, most landscapes aren’t complete without a few plants.
Xeriscaping is a sustainable landscaping approach—by minimizing water usage, you can create an eco-friendly outdoor space, all while netting significant cost savings.
What Is the Role of Native Plants in Landscaping and Xeriscaping?
To understand the role of native plants in xeriscaping, you need to keep the goal of xeriscaping in mind: To limit the need for humans to water plants. Natural plants thrived in their environments long before humans arrived—they’ve already adapted to the growing conditions of their local environment.
By incorporating native plants into your landscaping, you can drastically reduce the amount of watering your yard will need. Local plants are already adapted to local ecosystems—as long as a region is getting typical levels of rain, the plants can grow without needing additional watering. Even in years with lower moisture, these plants will still be able to grow and thrive with less watering than some non-native plants.
Environmental Impact of Traditional Landscaping Practices
You can achieve beautiful results with traditional landscaping—there’s a reason that traditional lawns are so common here in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, conventional landscaping has several potential environmental impacts; the need to use pesticides and fertilizers can lead to chemical runoff in the water. While water shortage is less of a concern here in Manitoba, increased water consumption can lead to problems in drought conditions.
Fortunately, you can combine traditional lawns and landscaping with xeriscaping to get the best of both worlds. We’ll explain how in the section of this article titled “Implementing Xeriscaping Techniques”.
Benefits of Xeriscaping With Native Plants
The main benefit of xeriscaping with native plants is that they’re well adapted to the local climate; they require less active watering, which has positive implications for water conservation efforts.
There are many other advantages to xeriscaping with native plants, too. Native plants are:
More attractive to local wildlife, like birds and pollinators
Easier to maintain
More drought-resistant than non-native plants
Native plants also typically boast deep root systems, which can help to stabilize soil and limit erosion.
Implementing Xeriscaping Techniques
There are a number of different xeriscaping techniques that can be used here in Manitoba. For many homeowners and business owners, a combination of traditional landscaping and xeriscaping can work wonders. Here are a few ideas for how you can incorporate xeriscaping into your yard:
Use mulch like wood chips, bark, or compost around plant beds to improve soil moisture and suppress weed growth.
Incorporate hardscape features like rocks and gravel.
Grow native plants—tall grasses, prairie wildflowers, and native shrubs and vines are great starting points.
When growing traditional lawns, be sure that your lawn is well adapted to Manitoba’s weather; Kentucky Bluegrass, Red Fescue, and Ryegrass are all excellent options.
Use efficient irrigation systems: Consider collecting rainwater and using drip irrigation.
Conclusion and Future of Sustainable Landscaping
Xeriscaping using native plants can help support the natural ecosystem of our province and reduce the need for frequent watering; it’s a more sustainable alternative to traditional landscaping.
Given the advantages of xeriscaping and renewed interest in sustainable landscaping practices, the benefits of using native plants will continue in the coming years. Expect xeriscaping to become very popular as time goes on.
