| INTRODUCTION
Beautiful, successful, water-efficient landscaping in the High Desert is the result of thoughtful attention and proper information. "A Guide to High Desert Landscaping" provides accurate and practical information to help local residents conserve water while creating an attractive and useful landscape. Recommendations are based on University of California research and objective information provided by the USDA Soil Conservation Service, Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District, Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture, California Department of Forestry, and the critically important comments, observations and suggestions of numerous High Desert gardeners and residents. "A Guide to High Desert Landscaping" stresses reducing water waste by maintaining an effective irrigation system and scheduling irrigations appropriately. Often, large amounts of water can be saved by correcting hardware problems. Examples include: raising sunken sprinkler heads, using matched heads, replacing broken heads and keeping heads vertical. An irrigation scheduling guideline based on historical evapotranspiration (ETo) for the High Desert is included. Irrigating turfgrass and ornamental plants according to this guideline can save water and result in healthier plants. A popular misconception is that to conserve water landscapes should be replaced with gravel, cacti, and only native plants. Fortunately, successful water-efficient landscaping does not require these drastic measures. In fact, there are many climatically-adapted nonnative plants that thrive in the High Desert on very limited water. The key to success lies in climatic adaptability, not solely plant origin.
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