A Makeover—40 Years in the Making

In last week’s blog for Stormwater magazine, I cited an article on how Arizona is dealing with invasive plant species. This week, the same source, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, traces the history of landscaping in Phoenix and how the thinking about native plants in that city has evolved—drastically—over the last few decades.

In the 1970s and earlier, native desert plants were rarely used in public spaces in Phoenix. City officials believed the native mesquite, palo verde, and creosote trees just looked “wrong” to the many winter visitors who came from the East Coast or the Midwest. (Palo verde, in fact, is Spanish for “green stick,” and the tree is a far cry from the lush, leafy trees that grow in other parts of the country.) So the city planted palm and citrus trees, pines, and Mediterranean olives and sumacs. Homeowners, too, preferred the lush look: In the 1980s, 70–90% of homes had turf landscapes.

In last week’s blog for Stormwater magazine, I cited an article on how Arizona is dealing with invasive plant species. This week, the same source, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association, traces the history of landscaping in Phoenix and how the thinking about native plants in that city has evolved—drastically—over the last few decades. In the 1970s and earlier, native desert plants were rarely used in public spaces in Phoenix. City officials believed the native mesquite, palo verde, and creosote trees just looked “wrong” to the many winter visitors who came from the East Coast or the Midwest. (Palo verde, in fact, is Spanish for “green stick,” and the tree is a far cry from the lush, leafy trees that grow in other parts of the country.) So the city planted palm and citrus trees, pines, and Mediterranean olives and sumacs. Homeowners, too, preferred the lush look: In the 1980s, 70–90% of homes had turf landscapes. [text_ad] The mid-1970s brought a drought to the Southwest, along with new ways of looking at native flora. Native plants began appearing in parks and street medians, alongside freeways, and around public buildings; they are now the norm. Natives became fashionable even for private homes and yards. The 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act set in motion policies to limit turfgrass on public land, golf courses, and residential areas. Today, only about 10% of Phoenix homes have turf landscaping. Many Arizona cities have adopted water conservation programs that encourage the use of desert landscaping and often provide demonstration gardens to show how attractive native plants can be. Today, with another drought in California and throughout much of the Western US, other states can learn from Phoenix’s example. Many cities—and individuals—in have already adopted water-conserving landscaping, and of course mandatory water use restrictions are in place throughout California. But there is still a strong preference in many areas for plants that originated in far wetter climates and that require more water than we currently have. What about your own city? Is there a preference for imported, non-native plants, or is there a conscious movement to use natives—for water-conservation purposes or on general principle?