xeros (xay-ros')   landscape ('land`skeyp)

Planning for Saving

Xeriscapes provide great energy saving benefits. A lawn has been shown to reduce home cooling requirements as much as 4 percent compared to a home with no vegetation cover. However, a Xeriscape with good tree, shrub and vine placement can cut cooling costs up to 46 percent.

Plugging the Energy Drain

The major expenditures of energy in landscape maintenance (aside from muscle power) are in water pumping and treatment, and in the manufacture and shipping of fertilizers, insecticides and other gardening chemicals. The energy used to manufacture maintenance equipment such as lawn mowers is also significant.

You can help reduce this energy drain by preserving natural areas to diminish, if not eliminate, the need for additional plantings; by selecting species requiring little or no water, fertilizer or insecticides; and by maximizing the use of ground covers and mulched areas.

More energy-saving tips:

Plant shade trees, shrubs and vines to significantly reduce solar radiation striking east, south and west walls, and east and west windows.

Use vegetation to block cold, northerly winds during the winter. Fences and vegetation can block air flow for a distance of from four to seven times their height. Plan their type and placement with care.

Use fruit trees to provide color, fragrance and food. They have little need for water once their root system is established.

To avoid stress to grass and to save on water, set the blades on your mower so that no more than one-third of the leaf blade is cut.

To avoid constant pruning, consider the mature size a plant will attain when deciding its placement.

Insects and disease are less of a problem when plants are adapted to an area.

Select plants with soil, drainage, light, and drought and salt tolerances in mind.

Overuse or misuse of nutrients creates pollution. If the plant doesn't absorb the fertilizer, then the soil and the underground water table will.

If soil is improved too much, plants become dependent on extra care.

Watering early in the day, when it's coolest, prevents evaporation. The rising sun will quickly dry the water from plant leaves, thus preventing the diseases and pests that thrive in a waterlogged environment.

Watering lawns too frequently reduces their drought-resistance. Try to wait until early signs of wilting are evident before watering.

Shred or chip yard clippings for composting or mulching. This not only conserves water, it also reduces solid waste.

Where turf is appropriate, choose species that need less mowing, fertilization and water.

To reduce time spent in maintenance, arrange plants in beds rather than as isolated specimens.

Match the right kind and size of power tool to the job.

Still More Energy Savings Tips

A concrete block and stucco wall can reach temperatures as high as 112-117 degrees F in direct sunlight. The shade from just one tree reduces that wall temperature by 25 degrees. Shrubs can reduce the wall's temperature by 24 degrees. Together, one large tree and a shrub can knock the temperature down by an average of 28 degrees. Energy-conserving landscaping can cut air-conditioning use by 20 to 40 percent.

When you're building a new home, you will also save energy and dollars by preserving all the natural vegetation that you possibly can. Mature trees make a significant difference in comfort and in property value. Bringing them in after construction is costly and the survival of transplanted trees is always a risk.

However, preserving mature landscaping in new construction areas requires care and planning. Damaged roots or altered soil depth within the drip line (the circular area formed by the tips of the branches) can kill a mature tree, though the dying process may take as long as five years.