Is a native landscape the same as a xeriscape?
Not necessarily, though perhaps. The term “xeriscape” was coined in the western United States and applies to landscaping designed to conserve water. The root of the term, “xeri,” comes from the Greek word xeros, which means “dry.” In ecology, “xeric” is applied to dry conditions, which derive from low precipitation amounts, as in arid environments, or from soils with extremely low moisture retention properties especially in areas with deep water tables. In the plant world, a xerophyte is a plant that is adapted to dry conditions, a hygrophyte is adapted to wet conditions, and a mesophyte is adapted to conditions in between. In arid regions xeriscaping depends largely, though not exclusively, on the use of xerophytes. Because the xeriscaping movement has pushed way beyond its arid origins, its proponents no longer focus exclusively on xerophytes, but rather on plants that will not require large volumes of supplemental irrigation once established. The term “water-wise landscaping” is use
