Xeriscape and Great Basin Theme Projects

Xeri = dry
scape = landscape

The average annual precipitation (including rainfall and water from snowmelt) in Reno is a scant seven inches. Water for irrigation, while adequate, is not plentiful: lawn watering is permanently rationed at two days each week.

At Interpretive Gardens, we specialize in the creation of low-maintenance, low-irrigation xeriscape gardens for homes and businesses in the Truckee Meadows. We have a list of recommended shrubs, trees, ground covers, perennials and grasses that have been chosen for their low-water requirements. They have a good success rate in our area, although success can't be guaranteed because of a lot of natural and management variables.

Xeriscape techniques were used in these IGI projects:

Reno-Tahoe International Airport Xeriscape Project

The Basque Sheepherder Monument

Lawn replacement project.

Great Basin Plants

Here's a list of some plants that require little or no watering once they're established.

Tall Deciduous Shade Trees		Evergreen Trees
Celtis occidentalis	Hackberry	Pinus edulis	Pinyon Pine
Catapa speciosa	Northern catalpa	Pinus monophyllia	Single leaf pinyon
Quercus macrocarpa	Burr Oak	Juniperus scopulorum	Jeffrey pine
Quercus robur	English oak	Pinus jeffreyi	Jeffrey pine
Robinia pseudoacacia	Purple robe locust	Pinus nigra	Austrian pine
Gleditsia triacanthos inermis	Thornless honeylocust	Pinus ponderosa	Ponderosa pine
Medium to Small Patio Trees		Evergreen Shrubs
Robinia idahoensis	Idaho locust	Artemisia tridentata	Big sagebrush
Eleagnus angustifolia	Russian olive	Atriplex canescens	Four-wing saltbush
Acer ginnala	Amur maple	Chrysothamnus nauseosus	Rabbit brush
Crataegus laevigata	"Paul's Scarlet" hawthorne	Cowania mexicana	Cliff rose
Koelreuteria paniculata	Golden rain tree	Ephedra viridis	Mormon tea
Malus sp.	Crabapple and apple	Purshia tridentata	Bitterbrush
Deciduous Shrubs		Ground Covers and Vines
Cercocarpus montanus	Beech leaf mountain mahogany	Oenothera speciosa	Mexican primrose
Chamaebatiaria millefolium	Fern bush	Achillea tomentosa	Wooly yarrow
Fallugia paradoxa	Apache plume	Dianthus deltoides	Maiden pinks
Holodiscus dumosus	Mountain spray	Hypericum sp.	St. John's wort
Prunus andersonii	Desert peach	Juniperus sp.	Juniper (many)
Rhus trilobata	Oakbush sumac	Phlox subalata	Creeping phlox