Many xeric plants are not only drought smart and water wise, they have many other unique strategies to help them thrive in less than ideal conditions. Investigate the potential, and find out some incredible facts about these wonderful plants.
You can get the information you need to plan, design and nurture your perfect ecological niche.
Being kind to the environment was never simpler - you can feel the satisfaction of saving the world, one garden at a time, starting with your own.
Browsing through the plants on this website will give you a wealth of beautiful plants to choose from to create your special habitat.
Wildlife, birds, butterflies and other insects will visit to feed and raise their families in the beautiful garden you’ve fashioned.
Many gardeners sense a mysterious attraction to drought smart plants. You may feel the pull of their symmetry and simplicity like many others before you, and admire their toughness and resilience in conditions of poor soil, infrequent watering and neglect. Your garden can still look lush and inviting, even when you don’t have time to water and cater to the whims of more fussy plants.
In the Victorian age, many of these gorgeous succulent plants were collected by their avid fans, and then sadly forgotten; now they’ve been re-discovered in this age of dry garden exploration. Begin your exciting journey into the world of xeric gardening.
I’m Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist, and avid xeric gardener. Join me on the adventure of a lifetime in the hunt for exotic, unusual, intriguing and fascinating drought smart plants.
Drought Smart Plants Blog Drought Smart Plants Blog keeps you up to date with all the latest information about creating your xeric garden.
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Succulent Plants Succulent plants have certain characteristics - in their case, ways of surviving dry conditions. They come from many different genera, or groups of plants which explains why they look so different.
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Succulent Plants Miscellaneous Can you stop at just one more gorgeous succulent plant from many different genera?
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New Miscellaneous Succulents New Miscellaneous Succulents for 2010
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Aeonium Aeonium are without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and sought after additions to succulent collections.
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New Aeonium New Aeonium for 2010
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Aloe Aloe are spiky and fleshy leaved, grown mainly for the foliage effects, but they'll surprise you with their flowers which form on an excessively long stalk.
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New Aloe New Aloe for 2010
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New Crassula New Crassula for 2010
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Haworthia Haworthia are known as the jewels of the succulent world; bright green translucent leaves or spectacular markings are their hallmark.
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New Haworthia New Haworthia for 2010
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Lithops Lithops are an amazing plant - yes, I said plant. I know, they don't look like one!
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Succulent Plant List Text Only A list of succulent plants without graphics
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Succulent Plant Identification There are many box stores and chain stores that carry unidentified succulent plants which just seem to leap into your shopping cart and beg for a new home. I can't resist them!
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Containers for Succulents Containers for succulents can range from the unique to the common. No matter what you choose, your succulents will look fabulous on your deck or patio in groups as an accent or focal point.
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Terracotta and Clay Pots Do you use terracotta and clay pots to display your succulent plants? Find out here why they're the best choice.
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Succulent Wreaths Make your own succulent wreaths for centerpieces or for your door.
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Succulent Mosaic Building a succulent mosaic is so satisfying to the soul. Combining the myriad textures and colours of succulent plants in a mosaic or tapestry that can hang on the wall
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Succulent Plant Propagation Succulent plants are easy to propagate; many can be rooted from a leaf alone, others will root quickly from a stem cutting. Learning about propagation techniques is fascinating, and fun.
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Succulent Plant Pests Pests won't bother your succulent plants; they can't get through the tough skin and waxy coating on some species, and other types just don't taste right.
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Succulent Swap Swap succulent plants or cuttings from your collection in exchange for ones from mine!
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Echeveria Echeveria are some of my favorite succulent plants. I grow them because they are so varied in colours and textures.
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Echeveria List A-L List of the Echeveria in my collection from A-L
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Echeveria List M-Z Echeveria in my collection from M to Z
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Echeveria Identification Echeveria identification got you puzzled? Send a picture here...
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Echeveria Dish Gardens Everything you need to know to make your very own beautiful Echeveria dish garden to display on your patio is right here.
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New Echeveria Here are some new Echeveria coming up for 2010
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Echeveria 'Black Prince' Detailed description and information about Echeveria 'Black Prince'
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Echeveria 'Curlylocks' Detailed description and information about Echeveria 'Curlylocks'
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Echeveria 'Captain Nemo' Detailed description and information about Echeveria 'Captain Nemo'
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Echeveria defractans x carnicolor Detailed description and information about Echeveria defractans x carnicolor
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Echeveria elegans Detailed description and information about Echeveria elegans
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Echeveria glauca Detailed description and information about Echeveria glauca
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Echeveria haagai tolimanensis Detailed description and information about Echeveria haagai tolimanensis
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Echeveria imbricata Detailed description and information about Echeveria imbricata
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Echeveria 'Jackie' Detailed description and information about Echeveria 'Jackie'
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Echeveria macrophylla Detailed description and information about Echeveria macrophylla
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Echeveria nodulosa 'Painted Beauty' Detailed description and information about Echeveria nodulosa 'Painted Beauty'
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Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnberg' Detailed description and information about Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnberg'
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Echeveria pulidonis Detailed description and information about Echeveria pulidonis
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Echeveria racemosa atropurpurea 'Brown Sugar' Detailed description and information about Echeveria racemosa atropurpurea 'Brown Sugar'
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Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy' Detailed description and information about Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy'
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Echeveria runyonii 'Rose V. Macabeano' Detailed description and information about Echeveria runyonii 'Rose V. Macabeano'
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Echeveria set-oliver Detailed description and information about Echeveria set-oliver
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Echeveria shaviana Detailed description and information about Echeveria shaviana
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It's About Thyme! ...and thyme is of the essence. Here are some ideas for growing thyme in your garden.
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Thyme List Choose from this list of many different types of thyme for your project.
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Thyme List Text Only A list of Thyme without graphics
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How To Grow Thyme Instructions and tips on how to grow Thyme in your garden.
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Thyme Lawn Thinking of growing a thyme lawn? Here are some tips...
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Signs of the Thymes It's signs of the thymes that you'll find here...
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Your Thyme Project Show off your thyme project - brag it up! We all want to hear about it.
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Sedum Plant List Deciding which Sedum plant to use can be a daunting prospect - if you aren't sure what you want. Choose from this list the perfect Sedum for your project.
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Sedum acre Detailed description and information about Sedum acre.
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Sedum album Detailed description and information about Sedum album
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Sedum cauticola Detailed description and information about Sedum cauticola
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Sedum cyaneum 'Rose Carpet' Detailed description and information about Sedum cyaneum 'Rose Carpet'
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Sedum dasyphyllum Detailed description and information about Sedum dasyphyllum
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Sedum glaucaphyllum Detailed description and information about Sedum glaucaphyllum
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Sedum hispanicum var polypetalum Detailed description and information about Sedum hispanicum var polypetalum
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Sedum hispanicum 'Blue Carpet' Detailed description and information about Sedum hispanicum Blue Carpet
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Sedum kamschaticum 'Variegatum' Detailed information about Sedum kamschaticum 'Variegatum'
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Sedum pachyclados 'White Diamond' Detailed description and information about Sedum pachyclados 'White Diamond'
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Sedum pluricaule Detailed description and information about Sedum pluricaule
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Sedum populifolium Detailed description and information about Sedum populifolium
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Sedum reflexum Detailed description and information about Sedum reflexum
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Sedum reflexum 'Angelina' Detailed description and information about Sedum reflexum Angelina
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Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce' Detailed description and information about Sedum reflexum Blue Spruce
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Sedum List Text Only Sedum List Text Only
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Sedum for Borders The best Sedum for borders are the taller types such as Sedum spectabile and Sedum telephium varieties. They add height and structure to mixed plantings.
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New Sedum New Sedum for 2010
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Green Roofs The low down on green roofs - are you ready for yours?
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Green Roof Soil What is the Best Green Roof Soil? Soil for green roofs has to fulfill certain characteristics. It must be light weight, have good water retention, and also good drainage.
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Glory Be; the root cellar Construction details of Glory Be; the root cellar
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Sempervivum Sempervivum have been known for centuries as hens and chicks, and houseleeks.
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Jovibarba Jovibarba, the other hens and chicks.
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Xeric Gardens Xeric gardens, or water wise gardens, are not necessarily a dry desert looking place, with cactus and rocks, although rocks can certainly play a part...
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Rain Gardens Rain gardens are another way to capture water in your xeric garden. With the climate changing so rapidly rain rarely falls in carefully measured amounts at the right time for your garden.
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Xeriscape Design Use these ideas and principles for your xeriscape design.
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Xeric Garden Style Defining your xeric garden style will depend greatly on your own personal style, and on the style of your house or other buildings on your property.
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Xeric Plants Xeric plants; make your choice from the common, and not so common.
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Wildflowers Wildflowers will attract many insects especially butterflies to your garden. Plant a wildflower meadow, green roof or nectar corridor to provide the insects with food and shelter.
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Groundcovers for Xeriscaping Groundcovers for your xeriscaping are an important part of the overall design.
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Moss and Lichen A rare find - moss and lichen in the xeric garden
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Shrubs for Xeriscaping Shrubs for xeriscaping can range in size from sub shrubs such as Paxistima canbyi, to Jostaberry. The range of types and growth habits is as wide.
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Xeric Garden Wildlife Xeric gardens are not a sterile desert - there are many kinds of wildlife, birds and reptiles who are attracted to the conditions they find there.
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Xeric Garden Insects If you could count all the insects in a xeric garden, the number would be huge. I'm constantly amazed at the constant low buzz in my xeric garden on a sunny day.
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Nectar Corridor Butterflies and other pollinators will follow a nectar corridor in their migrations - help them out with your very own nectar corridor.
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Birds in a Xeric Garden Birds are always welcome in my xeric garden; their cheerful chirping and flashing wings as they chase insects, checking out the treetops is a constant source of entertainment.
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Your Xeric Garden Your xeric garden project can be included on a web page. Here you can see examples of my customers projects, and get inspired.
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Water Capture Water capture can be as simple as putting a bucket under the downspout, or as complex as multiple cisterns and rain barrels with taps, pumps and hoses to deliver the water to it's destination.
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Xeric Garden Tour What could be more fun than a xeric garden tour with a group of like-minded people, whether it's a birding group or a garden club, to an inspiring and exciting garden?
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Rustic Crafts from a Xeric Garden You can use many natural things from your xeric garden to make neat and unique rustic crafts. Embellish other found and salvaged items to display or even better, to use in your garden.
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Rustic Garden Craft - Twig Fence Rustic garden crafts like a twig fence adds a country feel to your xeric garden, as well as using what could otherwise be waste.
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Rustic Garden Craft - Twig Obelisk Rustic garden crafts like a twig obelisk adds a country feel to your xeric garden, as well as using what could otherwise be waste.
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Rustic Garden Craft - Barnboard Potting Bench One of my favorite projects, after twig fence building, is making garden furnishings such as seating, tables or rustic potting benches.
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Rustic Garden Craft - Water Jug Cottage Making rustic garden crafts not only beautify your xeric garden, they can be useful too. Making a water jug cottage is a unique project to make your irrigation system fun again.
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Trough Gardens Trough gardens can add a new dimension to your xeric garden.
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Hypertufa Hypertufa crafts can be so much fun to make - here's where you can find out how to make hypertufa, and how to use your craft when you're finished.
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Miniature Landscapes Miniature Landscapes, Miniature Railways and Miniature Villages fascinate and amuse kids of all ages.
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Xeric Garden Calender - Fall Fall in the xeric garden - chores and thoughts.
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Xeric Garden Calender - Winter Winter in the xeric garden - hopes and dreams.
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Winter Solstice Greetings for the season, and the Winter Solstice
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Xeric Garden Calender - Spring Spring in the xeric garden - anticipation and euphoria.
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Xeric Garden Calender - Summer Summer in the xeric garden - energy and motivation.
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Sustainable Gardening What is Sustainable Gardening? In an ideal world, all the inputs, or whatever you put into your garden would equal the outputs, or whatever it produces.
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Drought Smart Strategies Many plants are genetically inclined to have drought smart strategies, others not so much. They can however be trained to be more drought smart than they were born for.
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Composting I have been addicted to composting for as long as I can remember. My family always had a compost pile, and I was ignorant of many facts about them until I started gardening myself.
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Hot Bed A hot bed is a perfect way to use compost from the chicken house due to its heat producing potential.
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Mulching Mulching is one of the most important techniques in any self respecting organic garden.
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Mulch Bed Grow a mulch bed right on site, reducing trucking costs and your carbon footprint.
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Lasagna Gardening Lasagna gardening is similar to sheet composting, but you actually never turn this or dig it over. In fact, you never have to do anything to it again, except add more ingredients to your lasagna.
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Vermicomposting Vermicomposting or worm farming is the process of producing excellent quality compost using worms.
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Sheet Composting Sheet composting is the technique of composting in a low bed, rather than a bin situation. It can contribute to soil enhancement, as well as a weed free planting bed.
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Chickens A small flock of chickens can be worth their weight in gold in your garden. Not only are they pest catchers and egg producers, they are also wonderful at stirring up the compost, and they also add th
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Chicken House Compost Chicken house compost is nutrient rich and valuable if processed properly. I raise my chickens using the deep litter method which provides lots of great compost.
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Green Manure Cover Crops Planting green manure cover crops is an excellent way to add organic matter to your garden fast, and this can be done while the crop is still growing or after harvesting, depending on the type of crop
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Chicken Pen Compost The chicken pen compost is in an outside area that I put leaves, garden refuse, horse manure and old hay where the chickens can scratch to their hearts content.
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Weeds Weeds are just plants that we have no use for - yet. Alternatively a weed is any plant growing in the wrong place.
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Pests Eliminating pests in your xeric gardens organically will give you a considerable advantage over other gardeners
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Hedgerows In many places in the UK, and other parts of Europe, hedgerows historically were a familiar sight in the countryside.
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Shelterbelts Shelterbelts are hedgerows on a grand scale. Used extensively throughout areas of the prairies where there are scouring winds from a predominant direction
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Windbreaks Windbreaks are similar in design to shelterbelts, but can also be made from other materials than plants. A good windbreak will only slow or re-direct the wind, not stop it entirely.
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Urban Farming Urban farming is a groundswell movement of growing food in cities and towns; in fact, anywhere other than a countryside setting.
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Guerilla Gardening Guerilla gardening emerged on the urban scene several years ago, and has seen phenomenal growth as more and more city dwellers tire of seeing the urban jungle of concrete sap the human spirit.
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Contact me Contact me to ask a question, make a suggestion, place an order.
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Shipping Information See important shipping information for your order.
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Order Information Find information about placing an order, prices and more.
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Disclaimer Notes about things I have no control over.
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Privacy Policy Privacy policy
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Search Results Search results
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About Drought Smart Plants and me All about Drought Smart Plants and me or; My Life in a Nutshell.
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Philosophy of a Xeric Gardener One Xeric Gardeners Philosophy.
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Blue Fox Farm Blue Fox Farm is my little nursery, nestled in a wooded canyon about 15 kilometers north of Grand Forks, British Columbia.
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My Sedum and Succulent Nursery I have always been fascinated by succulent plants, including Sedum, Sempervivum and tender succulents.
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The Eggporeum Construction details for The Eggporeum, or, why I built it.
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Rustic Garden Craft - Twig Gazebo Designing and building a twig gazebo is a challenging project. If , like me, rustic crafts fill your garden providing drama and delight, a twig gazebo could be next.
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Fire Smart Gardening Fire smart gardening is one way to protect your home from the wildfires that are now more and more common.
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Bio-diversity in a Sustainable Garden Bio-diversity is more than simply avoiding mono-cropping. It is a system of actively seeking to combine as many life forces as possible into an area. This means soil life, insects, and plants.
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