Guide
Xeriscaping: green spaces that use water wisely
Xeriscaping (kurakçıl peyzaj) means designing green space so that it uses water as little and as efficiently as possible. It does not mean a barren or gravel garden: it means creating attractive, living spaces with the right plant, in the right place, with the right irrigation. The approach emerged in the late 1970s in Colorado, USA; its name comes from the Greek word xeros, “dry”.
The same 200 litres of water…
Watering 1 m² of turf for about 20 days equals watering an apricot tree for a year. (example from the Ministry guide)
The example does not say that turf should be removed; it shows where the water goes: turf keeps its place where it is really used.
Common misconceptions
Xeriscaping is a matter of balance
The aim is not less green, but water used in the right place and only as much as needed. Every plant has a function on the site: providing shade, improving the microclimate, protecting the soil, creating habitat or defining a space for use. Xeric design keeps these functions while avoiding wasted water.
Turf must be removed entirely.
Turf is limited to the areas where it is functionally needed (play, rest, intensive use) and kept in a separate irrigation zone.
High water-need plants must never be used.
They are not excluded altogether; they are used sparingly and purposefully, grouped with plants of similar water need in the same irrigation zone (hydrozone), usually in a small, prominent area.
Use few species and few plants.
There is no need to reduce species diversity. Over most of the planted area, the emphasis is on low and moderate water-need species suited to the local climate.
A xeric plant is xeric everywhere.
A plant that needs little water cannot necessarily be grown in every province; it must also withstand the local winter minimum temperatures. The water need of the same plant is also higher in a province with a hot, dry summer. KURAS assesses both according to the climate of the location.
The site should be covered with stone and gravel.
Large, unshaded mineral surfaces can raise surface temperatures. Under suitable conditions gravel can be used as a mineral mulch around plants; unlike organic mulch, it does not feed the soil and reflects more heat.
In KURAS: the irrigation zone (hydrozone) suggestion below the results groups the plants in your list by their water need at the selected location. If you enter quantities in the plant list, you also see how many plants fall into each group. Quantities do not show water use: a large tree uses more water than many small groundcovers. What mainly determines water use is the planted area each group covers.
Principles
The 7 core principles of xeriscaping
A successful project applies all of these principles together. The site does not need to be redesigned from scratch; even small changes to existing spaces save water.
Steps KURAS supports directly Steps the designer applies on site
The climate, soil, aspect, sun exposure and existing vegetation of the site are surveyed and the areas of use are defined. The design is built by dividing the plants into zones according to their water need (hydrozoning).
On hard surfaces, permeable paving (interlocking pavers, flagstone, porous asphalt) lets rainfall reach the soil.
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Soil analysis and preparation
pH, lime, salinity, nutrients, sand–clay–silt fractions and organic matter content are determined by analysis; soil improvement is completed before planting.
In clayey, slowly draining soils, adding organic matter to the planting pit is not recommended: excess moisture can collect around the roots and suffocate them.
Species are chosen that tolerate drought, heat and salinity, need little water, withstand the winter minimum temperatures, and suit the local climate and natural vegetation; native species are preferred. Healthy, established plants on the site are kept wherever possible.
A drought-tolerant plant that cannot survive the winter of a province is lost in the first hard winter; replanting costs water, labour and money. Olive and bougainvillea, for example, are successful xeric plants on mild coasts but can be damaged by frost in Central Anatolian winters. Xeric plants are used on hot, dry south- and west-facing aspects, moisture-loving plants on north- and east-facing ones.
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Limiting turf areas
Turf is kept only where it will really be used (play, rest, sport) and as small as possible; groundcovers and shrubs are preferred on slopes and in ornamental areas.
Drought-tolerant turf species that stop growing in summer are chosen; turf areas are designed apart from other plants so that they can be irrigated separately.
Low and high water-need plants are put on separate irrigation lines; drip irrigation and automation are used, and the schedule is adjusted to the season and the weather. Irrigation is done before sunrise or after sunset.
The four steps of efficient irrigation: design, installation, management and regular maintenance.
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Use of mulch
The soil around plants is covered with organic materials such as bark, needles and shredded leaves, or inorganic ones such as gravel, pumice and crushed stone. Evaporation decreases, weeds are suppressed, and roots stay cool in summer and protected in winter.
Mulch is not fertiliser: it is spread on top of the soil, not mixed into it.
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Appropriate maintenance
Pruning, fertilising and the irrigation schedule are adjusted to the plant’s needs and the season; the irrigation system is checked regularly and the mulch layer is renewed.
A well-established xeriscape is not maintenance-free, but it thrives with less water, fertiliser and labour.
Irrigation plan
Hydrozoning: grouping plants by water need
According to the Ministry guide, xeric design groups plants into three zones by their water need. Plants separated by water need are irrigated more efficiently and grow more healthily than plants mixed at random.
In KURAS: the irrigation zone (hydrozone) suggestion below the analysis results divides the plants in your list into these three groups by their water need at the selected location. The grouping is by water only; when placing plants of the same group, assess light, soil, size and design compatibility separately.
Soil cover
Mulching: small effort, big savings
Mulch is a cover spread over the soil. It reduces evaporation from the soil, suppresses weeds, and keeps roots cool in summer and protected in winter; organic mulch also feeds the soil as it decomposes.
Sources
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye, General Directorate of Water Management (2025). Kurakçıl Peyzaj Rehber Dokümanı [Xeriscape Guidance Document], in Turkish. The principles, hydrozoning, the turf–tree comparison and the mulch information on this page are summarised from this guide.
- Çorbacı, Ö. L. et al. (2017); the study cited in the Ministry guide for the xeriscape principles, turf species and the mulch table.
- Denver Water (USA): the utility where the concept of “Xeriscape” and the seven principles originated. One of the seven principles is not removing turf but limiting it to practical areas.
How much water do the plants on your list need at your location, will they survive the winter, and which irrigation zone do they belong to? Find out now.
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