Although maintenance will be simpler for a Xeriscape than a traditional landscape dominated by bluegrass, Xeriscape is not a no maintenance landscape! But maintaining a Xeriscape landscape can be quite freeing because the maintenance schedule can be much more flexible than the schedule for maintaining a manicured lawn. Maintenance Calendar The Main Maintenance Components
Watering
Do this only when the plants need water. Check soil and look at the plants. You will come to recognize which plant in each hydrozone needs water first, and it will become your "flag" plant. If you find that any plant has strikingly different water needs - move it. Mowing
Lawns are most healthy when mowed at 2.5 to 3 inches, leaving the clippings on the lawn. Mow frequently, so no more than one-third of the grass blade is removed. Weeding
Weeding is required mostly in the first few years before plants fill in. It's best done regularly - while the weeds are small. If you have chosen an inorganic mulch, soil will have built up on top of the weed barrier fabric and weeds will become an ongoing problem. Fertilizing
Follow Colorado State University Cooperative Extension recommendations for fertilizing turf in their
Fact Sheet #7.202: Lawn Care. Deadheading
Deadheading means cutting the spent blossoms off flowering plants. How often you need to do this depends on the look you want to achieve in your Xeriscape. If you want a high maintenance flowerbed, deadhead often, and it will have a different look than if you want a wilder look and allow seedheads to stay longer. Allowing seedheads to linger may mean seedlings popping up in your planting areas. So you may learn to pick and choose what you deadhead. Pruning
Prune anytime to remove old wood and damaged limbs on trees and shrubs. See the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension fact sheets on pruning. | 
