Noticed the word ‘xeriscape’ was not included. Found this online: The term was coined in 1981 by Nancy Leavitt of Denver Water, who deliberately used the “i” to distinguish it from “zeroscape” and to create a more elegant flow in English. While “xeroscape” is a common misspelling—often resulting from the Greek root xeros —standard dictionaries and the original trademark define it as xeriscape . Xeriscapes are dry desert like environments that support certain plants like cactuses and thus do not require much water.