It's no secret to anyone living west of the Mississippi that we are in a major drought and have been for years. Which means using less water is a priority.

For those with lawns, shrubbery, and flower gardens, this is both a burden and a challenge. The good news is that there is a viable option.

When the Water Runs Out

That may seem like a harsh assessment, but if you're living in states like California, Texas, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico, for example, you know that this is a dire possibility.

According to a recent report from the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),

As of July 11, 2022, drought conditions were most severe in the States of California, Texas, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico. According to USDM, on July 11, 2022, more than 32 percent of land in western states was classified as experiencing extreme or exceptional drought.

We all use water and in normal conditions, there is almost always enough for our daily usage. It is when drought occurs that many of us become painfully aware of just how much water we use in the United States.

In addition to all the municipal and industrial water usage needs, the residential use of water is a significantly large portion of the overall water consumption.

As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted,

The average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home. Roughly 70 percent of this use occurs indoors.

Nationally, outdoor water use accounts for 30 percent of household use yet can be much higher in drier parts of the country and in more water-intensive landscapes. For example, the arid West has some of the highest per capita residential water use because of landscape irrigation.

It is the practice of landscape irrigation - namely, watering our lawns - that can be reduced by a vast amount. And that without having to live with dead grass and dirt lots in place of green lawns.

Xeriscaping: A Low Water Landscaping Alternative to Lawn Grass

Most homeowners have some amount of landscaped property around their homes.  For some, it may be little more than a "pocket" patch of lawn grass and a planter strip with shrubs or flowers.

For others, there's a front lawn of grass, two side yards, and a large backyard - all with green grass, trees, shrubbery, and maybe even flowers and a small vegetable garden. And then there are all the various degrees of landscaping that fall in between these extremes.

Aside from lawn grass, what all these urban and suburban landscape have in common is watering.

Today, many of those lawns are brown and some have even died off completely. For others, it is a tiresome regimen of allowable "watering days" and cutting corners to reduce water usage. And an ever-rising water bill each month or so.

The good news is that there is an attractive and low-water option to traditional lawn grass and water-hogging plants.

What is Xeriscaping?

According to one National Geographic article,

Xeriscaping is the practice of landscaping with minimal use of water. Homes and businesses in desert climates, such as Las Vegas, use rocks and native vegetation such as cacti in xeriscaping projects.

While the practice is common in desert communities and throughout many Southwest regions, it is becoming popular throughout the Western United States and other areas.

Simply put, xeriscaping is the process of landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation.

Since this is an advantageous alternative to cultivating vast areas of traditional lawn grass and can conserve significant amounts of diminishing water, we created this infographic to help guide you in your own xeriscaping efforts.

After Xeriscaping: When the Dust Settles and the Debris Needs Removing

Any large-scale landscaping project is going to produce mounds of debris, trash, and rubbish. From dirt, rocks, concrete rubble, and sod to scrap lumber, packaging waste, landscape debris of various types, and plain, old trash - it will all have to removed and disposed of somehow.

For larger properties, in particular, this can be a daunting task as the sheer volume of debris can be a bit overwhelming.

This is why the smart option is to hire a professional yard debris removal firm like Junk King.

With extra-large junk trucks, highly trained and expert crews, and fast and courteous service, you can simply stand by and point while we do all the heavy lifting and loading.

And we will provide you with a free, no-obligation estimate before you ever agree to use our services. After all the work you put into transforming your old outdoor spaces into a xeriscaped wonderland, there's no reason for you to have to do all the clean up and debris removal, too!

Call Junk King for Your Yard Waste Removal Needs

Junk King provides yard waste and other junk removal services for homeowners, renters, and businesses. We are the nation's top-rated service and provide affordable, safe, and "green" junk hauling and large junk removal.

In fact, our main goal is to make the whole junk removal process easy and efficient for you.

Our courteous and professional junk hauling teams have the resources needed to haul off any large, bulky, and heavy junk items quickly and easily, along with any other junk you need removed.

And they can do it all without damaging any part of your home or workplace on the way out.

Ready to get rid of your yard waste and other junk? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

Our professional and insured junk hauling and disposal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home or place of work. And, once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your rubbish and landscaping debris takes up in our truck, including any large junk items you want to get rid of.

It's fast and easy - you simply point and we load your waste materials and junk items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

You can make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).