Xeriscaping helps desert blossom

A conservation group is helping Utahns change part of their yards into a more natural setting, with lovely native wildflowers and other plants — and at the same time, save on their water bills.

The project involves xeriscaping, a term defined as landscaping residential or park land to minimize the use of water. A good way to do this is to encourage the growth of plants that are native to the Utah setting, requiring less water than the lush fields of grass that so often cover yards and parking strips.

This spring, when floods threaten residents from Logan to Cedar City, concerns about saving water may seem farfetched. But water system managers emphasize that as the state's population grows, pressure will build on Utah's limited supplies.

"Rip the Strip," a program sponsored by the Utah Rivers Council, aims at getting people started with xeriscaping by replacing their water-slurping parking strips, the narrow stretch of greenery between the sidewalk and the street. The new plants would be species that consume less water, including a variety that are endemic to this arid state.

Jeffrey Steadman, water conservation coordinator for the rivers council, said residents who want to join the project can log onto a Web site, www.utahrivers.org, and pledge to make the change. Then they will be mailed a free packet with instructions on how to do it, plus discount coupons from nurseries and landscapers.

The packet points out that anyone participating needs to become familiar with the local city or town's landscaping ordinance. Governmental restrictions may include "type of plants or trees allowed (i.e., no thorned plants), types of non-plants allowed (i.e., no concrete), size or height of plants" and other rules.

Some ordinances could mandate a certain type of plants and restrict visual obstructions. "Some places actually require grass," says the packet.

Salt Lake City's parking strip rule says a third of the strip must be covered in vegetation, measured after three years of plant growth. It also limits plantings in order to preserve the line of sight from a driveway, and prohibits barbed and thorny plants, according to the packet.

The Web site reprints the Salt Lake City ordinance so residents can check for themselves.

"We wanted to create a project where homeowners could take a bite-sized area and get familiar with drought-tolerant plants and lower water-use landscape principles," Steadman added.

Eventually, those who get started strip-ripping may expand their xeriscaping to other parts of the yard, saving even more water, he said.