Xeriscaping is a low-water user landscaping practice in the desert Southwest. Typically gravel or rock is used as the major groundcover, with desert-adapted plants interspersed. Herbicides are generally used to control unsightly weeds in the gravel areas.
Zero-scaping is when landowners skip all of the landscaping and just use herbicides to maintain dirt lots. Unsurprisingly, the result is often phenomenally ugly. However, this technique is extremely popular. Why?
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| Herbicide-maintained zero-scaping. The property is listed on one of the popular home-rental websites, so it has to look "presentable"! |
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| Property line contrast. The owner on the right has elected to let their grass grow tall, creating habitat for wildflowers and pollinators. They usually mow it once or twice a year. |
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| Close-up of herbicide area. Not what I would call "presentable". |
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| Another property owner trying to make their yard look nice. The lush growth on the right shows what they are fighting against. |
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| Some zero-scaping is counter-productive. Here coir logs were used to try to control erosion. The slope may even have been seeded. But the over-zealous (or under-caring) landscaping company tasked with controlling weeds on the property has been very thorough in killing everything. The result is continuing erosion into the waterway. |
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