Introduction
Welcome to Desert Blooms, A SunScape Guide to Plants for a Water Scarce Region. Desert Blooms is intended to provide a guide to Water Smart Landscaping for use by homeowners and residential gardeners as well as designers and landscape installation and maintenance professionals in the greater El Paso, Las Cruces and Ciudad Juárez region. While Desert Blooms features descriptive information and, in many cases, photographs of over 400 plants, useful information concerning water smart design, proper methods for planting and maintenance, and efficient irrigation practices is also provided. Lists of other information resources, demonstration gardens and reference books are also included for additional assistance.
Another purpose for Desert Blooms is to increase public awareness of our limited regional water resources and to stimulate water conservation through avoidance of waste and reduction of outdoor water consumption of our precious water. To further that educational goal, sections dealing with the local water conservation ordinances and an overview of regional water resources are included.
SunScape means teaming up with nature and gardening naturally in harmony with our Chihuahuan Desert surroundings. We hope you will find Desert Blooms useful in applying these principles to create water wise landscapes. Good design, proper care, efficient irrigation and the use of native or adapted plants can provide reasonable alternatives to the unattractive and unimaginative use of crushed rock and scattered succulent plants that is aptly called Zeroscaping. Water efficient plants can provide all the aesthetic qualities of traditional landscaping without loss of color, texture, or diversity.