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I'm asking about businesses in semi-arid areas. I've been thinking about this lately. Lawns require quite a bit of water and the West is mainly arid/semi-arid. There are some that xeriscape but most don't, at least where I live. I see all these businesses with lawns and I feel like it's a huge waste of water. Maybe I'm just being biased since I love xeriscaping. I do understand that lawns look beautiful and give you a surface to play on. But a lot times businesses don't even maintain them, they're full of weeds and yellow patches and it's not like we use those areas to play on.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Oregon and Washington are in the west too, and have enough rainfall to maintain green landscapes 8-9 months of the year. The other issue for coastal areas is surface water management. Rainfall enters creeks and rivers where fish spawn and then flows to the bays and oceans. There also has to be maintenance on stormwater systems to prevent flooding during high periods of rain, and overflow of sanitary sewage. Your beloved xeriscape is most often impervious concrete
which will increase the runoff, and add to the local utility charges for surfacewater management, while having a lot of water-absorbing soil/lawns reduces the runoff and cost to the building owners.
Oregon and Washington are in the west too, and have enough rainfall to maintain green landscapes 8-9 months of the year. The other issue for coastal areas is surface water management. Rainfall enters creeks and rivers where fish spawn and then flows to the bays and oceans. There also has to be maintenance on stormwater systems to prevent flooding during high periods of rain, and overflow of sanitary sewage. Your beloved xeriscape is most often impervious concrete
which will increase the runoff, and add to the local utility charges for surfacewater management, while having a lot of water-absorbing soil/lawns reduces the runoff and cost to the building owners.
I'm all for native plants. Even if there were no drought, maintaining immaculate green lawns is just a pain. Native plants are beautiful and need little care once established. Plus, they're much better for the native wildlife.
Unfortunately it seems to be part of human nature to want to grow things that don't grow well in your climate. People take it as a challenge. Just like folks in New England coddling citrus trees and cactus under glass, my husband here in SoCal is always trying to nurture azaleas and Japanese maples, and small shade- and moisture-loving flowers in our semi-arid climate. They either die, or look half dead most of the time. Lush green lawns are the same way. Just give it up!
And no, xeriscape is not concrete. Plants don't grow on concrete.
I think that xeriscaping in the west is mostly terrible, and should end as a fad. Rough plots of brown rocks everywhere with one cactus is done for cheapness, not water conservation. It's not enjoyable to walk on or walk past.
And the west doesn't have to be like that.
Native plantings and allowing grassy areas to go 'natural' and not be 100% manicured like others have suggested is the way to go.
Actually, in my opinion, the xeriscaped landscape strips are an artifact of south and easterly development-appropriate patterns, and should not be done at all in the dry west. Tighter zoning with more buildings casting shade would make more sense. There is no 'value' or investment in passing by a xeriscaped small plot of land as you drive by in your car with the A/C blasting. Save the water for actual valuable landscaped parks and playing fields. And if your front yard in Las Vegas is just going to be rocks, why have it in the first place?
But native plantings would be a good first step.
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