xeriscape

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The Word of the Day for June 26 is:

xeriscape   \ZEER-uh-skayp\   noun, often capitalized
     : a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates 
that utilizes water-conserving techniques (as the use of drought-tolerant 
plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation)

Example sentence:
     Jim is not green-thumbed, so when he relocated to Colorado, he really 
liked the low-maintenance xeriscape of his new home.

Did you know?
     "Xeros" is the Greek word for "dry" that is the base for a handful of 
English words related to mainly dry printing ("xerography") and dry, or 
xerophilous, habitats and their plants. In the early 1980s, the Greek adjective 
was used to name a type of landscaping practiced primarily in the arid western 
regions of the United States. (The Water Department of Denver, Colorado, is 
credited with the word's coinage.) "Xeriscape," as it is called, uses plants 
that require little water and techniques that efficiently use water and reduce 
evaporation.





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