High Country Gardens says xeriscaping can cut water use as Western drought deepens

As Colorado River reservoirs hit record lows and new federal operating guidelines take effect for 2027 and 2028, High Country Gardens is urging homeowners to rethink landscape design around real water availability. The company says xeriscaping can create attractive yards that use less supplemental irrigation without sacrificing color or variety.

Why it matters: - Western homeowners are under growing pressure to reduce outdoor water use as drought strains supplies and Colorado River management tightens. - Landscape design choices can lower water demand without requiring a full yard overhaul. - Xeriscaping can help homeowners match plants and irrigation to local conditions instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all approach across a property.

What happened: - On Aug. 21, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation finalized new guidelines for operating the Colorado River system in 2027 and 2028. - Lake Mead and Lake Powell reached record-low elevations in August after decades of drought. - High Country Gardens used the policy shift to highlight xeriscaping as a practical response for homeowners in the West. - The Clinton, Utah-based company said homeowners should design around the water realistically available in their climate and location.

The details: - Xeriscaping is a landscape-design approach that starts with climate, water availability and growing conditions. - The method considers plant selection, layout, plant groupings, soil conditions and irrigation from the beginning. - Xeriscaping is not the same as “zeroscaping,” the sparse rock-and-plant-free approach many people associate with the term. - High Country Gardens said xeriscaping can still include flowering plants, foliage, seasonal color and varied textures. - The company organizes waterwise landscapes into three hydrozones: oasis, transition and xeric. - The oasis zone is for the easiest-to-water areas and higher-water plants. - The transition zone supports plants with moderate water needs. - The xeric zone is for lower-access areas and plants that can thrive with much less supplemental water once established. - The broader waterwise framework includes planning, plant selection, soil knowledge, turf management, efficient irrigation and maintenance. - Lauren Carvalho, horticultural manager at High Country Gardens, said Western gardening is difficult because of temperature swings, rocky or infertile soils, high heat and longer droughts. - Carvalho said homeowners should understand their site, accept its limits and choose resilient plants suited to those conditions. - High Country Gardens said homeowners can start with an audit rather than a demolition. - The first step is to identify where supplemental water is being used most heavily. - Homeowners can then look for hard-to-irrigate spaces, lightly used areas and plants that need more water than the site naturally provides. - The company recommends zoning before planting so plants with similar water needs are grouped together. - Strategic replacement can begin with one side yard, slope, turf strip or other high-water area. - Soil type and drainage matter because a dry-climate plant may still fail in the wrong soil. - Efficient irrigation can help deliver water where plants need it most. - Once established, site-appropriate plants can often be watered more deeply and less frequently. - A plant labeled drought tolerant will not perform equally well in every dry climate or every part of a landscape. - Climate, precipitation, soil, drainage, sun exposure, elevation and microclimates all affect plant performance. - A sunny slope, a foundation bed and a dry strip along a driveway can have very different growing conditions even when they are close together. - Kristina Bentz, business manager at High Country Gardens, said plant grouping is critical because mixed-water-need beds can force overwatering. - Bentz said pairing plants like hostas and salvias in the same bed can create watering conflicts and increase rot risk. - The company said a waterwise landscape can still include beauty, habitat, color and texture. - High Country Gardens said the approach can create lush spaces where homeowners spend the most time while saving water in lower-priority areas. - The company said it has focused on waterwise gardening in the West since horticulturist David Salman founded it in 1993.

Between the lines: - The message is less about cutting back and more about redesigning for the climate conditions that already exist. - By framing water conservation as a design problem, High Country Gardens is positioning xeriscaping as a practical upgrade, not a sacrifice. - The company is also pushing back on the idea that drought-tolerant planting means uniform treatment across a yard.

What’s next: - High Country Gardens is steering homeowners to its waterwise resources on xeriscaping, plant selection, irrigation and sustainable landscape design. - The company’s resources include How to Plan a Waterwise Garden or Xeriscape, Xeriscaping vs Zeroscaping, the Waterwise Learning Center and How to choose waterwise plants. - The company says homeowners can start with a lawn edge, side yard, slope or other area that currently demands more water than the site can realistically provide.

The bottom line: - Xeriscaping is being presented as a step-by-step way for Western homeowners to conserve water while keeping landscapes functional and attractive.