Gardening has a long tradition in Boise and the North End has long provided some of the best example of residential and urban gardening anywhere. From Xeriscaping to formal gardens, great vegetables and fruit trees to great Spring tulips and some of the best examples of ornamental trees anywhere, the North End has it.

We are also very aware that we live in the high mountain desert. The total Idaho average for rainfall is 11 inches and it ranks as the fourth driest state in the U.S. Boise gets an average of 11 inches of rainfall annually concentrated between September and May. The average is only about 3 inches more per year than Phoenix!!Boise’s average sun-day is about the same as Tucson, Arizona.

The warm days and cool nights are great for growing vegetables and we enjoy a fairly long growing season.

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping refers to landscaping in ways that do not require supplemental irrigation. It is promoted in areas that do not have easily accessible supplies of fresh water. The word Xeriscaping was coined by combining xeros (Greek for “dry”) with landscape. Plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate are emphasized, and care is taken to avoid losing water to evaporation and run-off.