WELCOME TO THE COURTS
OF THE XERISCAPE
s
the Blader peers to the East
from the summit of Pikes Peak,
a vast and beautiful sea of grasses
stretches to the horizon.
Pikes Peak, over fourteen thousand feet above
the Oceans of the World,
gets an average of 45 inches of water a year.
The grasslands are about
6,000 feet above the level of the oceans
and receive only about 15 inches of water in a year.
This is where the inhabitants of
the Colorado Springs Courts of the Xeriscape live.
hen General Palmer established his town
in 1871,
he gazed at Pikes Peak across a tree-less expanse of native grasses
and plants.
Because the General wanted to provide beautiful gardens
and tree lined streets for his Queen Palmer,
he developed the El Paso Canal,
an 11 1/2 mile ditch from Fountain Creek which drains
from the watersheds of our beautiful Peak.
system
of wells and the canal, portions of which are still visible at
the
Beidleman Nature Center, soon became overused and polluted,
so in 1891, the Keepers of Yesteryear
developed a reservoir system on Pikes Peak
.
he Blader's
winter views to the West from Pikes Peak,
display a vast store of water frozen in the Shredders Province,
on the
mountains of the Continental Divide. After the Second Great World
War,
Subjects of the Court required greater supplies
of water.
Keepers of the Water Resources began to bring water to Colorado
Springs
from the other side of the Continental Divide,
over two hundred miles away from the Courts of the Xeriscape.
pproximately
half of the water
brought to Colorado Springs from Colorado's
mountains goes to water gardens and lawns.
Half of this eighty seven bazillion
gallons of water per year
could be saved by following the
landscaping principles of Xeriscaping.
top
Colorado Springs Mesa, near the Garden of the Gods,
is found another garden: the Grand
Court of the Xeriscape
This Demonstration Garden is designed to
show modern Keepers how to save water,
lower water costs and create beautiful Courts of Xeriscaping ,
in a way that perpetuates General Palmer's vision
while growing grasses and flowers
that fit the needs of this unique dry land domain.
eepers
Commitments at the Grand Court of the Xeriscape
take steps to conserve water before it reaches the citizens of
the realm.
Voluntary conservation of water on the part of citizens is encouraged
and gladdens the hearts of the KEEPERS OF THE WATER.
To follow the path of the used water,
you will need new equipment. When you click on the correct response,
you will help the KEEPER
and you will receive another clue from the Water Word Wizard.
What is xeriscape?