Water in the West is a precious commodity. It may come as a surprise that, on average, more than half of residential water use in this region goes to outdoor irrigation—our lawns, plants, and landscapes. In some desert cities, outdoor water use during the warm summer months accounts for more than 70 percent of home water consumption. Using a common-sense approach, homeowners can now lower their water and energy bills, spend less time irrigating and caring for plants, increase the beauty, value, and livability of their homes, and do this all while conserving the West’s most valuable resource—water.Lush Low-Water Plants & Landscapes provides the information—and inspiration—to accomplish these goals. It is written primarily for homeowners and gardeners in the dry West—Arizona, California, southern Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, most regions of Texas, and southern Utah, although the principles of wise water use apply anywhere on the globe. Hundreds of large color photographs and clearly written descriptions show and tell readers how to choose the very best plants for their unique situation and combine them to create beautiful low-water landscapes.