Beauty All Around in Las Cruces

 

There's a special feature of many homes in Las Cruces and the surrounding area (Mesilla, Mesilla Park) that other parts of the country don't have: EBID rights. What? Elephant Butte Irrigation District water rights! For low fees, property that comes with EBID "rights" can purchase water from the Rio Grande. The water gets to these homes via many large and small "ditches" with "gates" and pumps along them. When it's a certain neighborhood's turn to get the river water, a "ditch rider" drives along the right-of-way along the ditches and opens the gates, times the water, and then closes the gates. While the water is flowing, the properties along the ditches open their gates, or sluices, and the water flows into their yards. 

This is magical water! Anything it touches, it replenishes and makes grow luxuriantly! Roses, apples, pecans, pomegranites, orchard grass, vegetables -- ANYTHING -- grows so beautifully with river water.

The mountain ash tree shown in this post and full of berries is located in the Garcia Park Botanical Garden, maintained by NMSU. It's right on a ditch and the plants receive all the good Rio Grande water they can drink! 

Of course, homes without EBID rights can also have lovely landscaping. Most landscaping away from the EBID ditches feature xeriscapes, which highlight native and desert plants and different types of rocks and gravel instead of lawns. But some people have lovely lawns and they shimmer like an oasis in the sunlight. 

The home we bought doesn't have EBID rights and is up too high from the valley to be near the ditches. But we have several mature trees that are gorgeous, and have put in some grape vines, too. And we have many flowers growing in galvanized stock tanks in our front courtyard!

Houses with EBID rights are very special. If you love gardening, consider trying to buy a home that comes with EBID rights when you retire to beautiful Las Cruces!