Arizona town builds xeriscape garden

A new xeriscape garden has broken ground in Paradise Valley, just northwest of Scottsdale, to educate residents on water conservation and the benefits of natural desert landscaping and low-water-use plants, according to a story on azcentral.com.

Jake Lenderking, water resources manager for Arizona American Water, said the purpose of the garden is to give people all the resources they need to make low-water landscaping choices.

"The fundamental idea is to show off the beauty of low-water-use plants, and ultimately, save water," he said.

Arizona American received a cost-share grant of $30,000 from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to purchase the plants and signage.

The water company also has begun work on a xeriscape garden in Sun City.The 10,000-square-foot garden will contain native and non-native plants. Some plants may include prickly pears, slipper plants, pink fairy dusters, as well as paloverde, mesquite and yucca trees.

The garden is being created in cooperation with Arizona American, Paradise Valley Town Council, neighbors and the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners program. The grand opening is expected sometime this spring.