Archive for June, 2014

Water Shortages: The Big Picture

June 27, 2014

The drought and potential shortages of Colorado River water have everyone talking. That’s good news because no one seems to pay attention to water issues if there isn’t a crisis brewing. It’s also the bad news because everyone–pundits, politicians and prognosticator–has an opinion, which makes it tough to determine how the pieces fit together so we can see the big …

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Xeriscape is not Zeroscape

June 24, 2014

Scottsdale Xeriscape Garden shows that saving water can be beautiful. It’s a common mispronunciation, but it’s also a telling Freudian slip: saying “zeroscape” instead of “xeriscape” (pronounced ZEER-escape). To xeriscape is to design a garden that conserves water through the use of drought-tolerant plants grouped according to water needs, water-collection systems, mulch, non-wasteful irrigation, and other commonsense yet once-radical gardening …

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