The word xeriscape is one of those terms that most everyone has heard but few truly understand. When we think of xeriscapes or xeriscaping, most people immediately visualize a dry almost lifeless desert landscape with rocks and cactus. Because the "x" is pronounced like a "z" the word is often mistaken for a fancy way of spelling zeroscapes, which implies that it has no plantings or uses zero water. Neither is true. Working in the arid climates of the Texas hill country, I've embraced the xeriscaping concept as a way to create sustainable and inviting landscapes with minimal irrigation, but again, that does not
Back when we launched WaterShapes, just over 21 years ago, the magazine surprised lots of people for a variety of reasons: Its broad focus on all types of water systems; the fact that it's written in the first person by industry experts and not
Aquascape (St. Charles, IL) manufactures landscape fountain kits that come with all the necessary components…
S.R. Smith (Canby, OR) fabricates the Artisan Series of hand rails, stair rails and ladders…
USA Shade (Coppell, TX) offers three-, four- and five-point sails that provide shade with a…
Pentair (Sanford, SC) produces MagicStream Laminars that add dramatic sights and soothing sounds to any…
Twinscape North America (Campbell, CA) produces Hydrofloors, moveable-floor watershape systems made of stainless steel beams…
Bradford Products (Leland, NC) produces pre-manufactured, custom, stainless steel spas to suit a wide spectrum…
Designing with line of sight in mind is something I think about a lot. Knowing where to place things so they will be seen, or in some cases not seen, is arguably square one in the design process. That's why when I talk to my clients one of the first things I ask is, "What's the most important view in the house?" I start there because it's something they are going to be looking at 365 days a year, probably morning, noon and night. The answers are mostly the same, the living room, dining room or kitchen. Every once in a while, someone
Since joining Watershape University (WU) last fall, one of the most intriguing, and I believe inspiring, ideas we've pursued has been the plan to develop the Live Blue Foundation (LBF) as a companion organization. For those who might be wondering what the LBF is all about, and how it ties in with WU, here's a brief synopsis. The concept for LBF stems from the revolutionary work of
