Low Water Landscaping Tips: Xeriscape, low water plants & more
No. 1 Know the path of the Sun
The utmost important consideration for someone concerned with low water landscaping should be the path of the sun. Knowing which sides of the house receive the most sun, which receive early morning, late afternoon, or little to no sun is absolutely intregal. Low water landscaping and xeriscape techniques will aid you very little if you are, for example placing drought resistant plants in the shaded side of the house and water thirsty plants in the full sun area of your yard. The basic rule of thumb for a low water landscape is to place the most drought resistant plants in the full path of the sun and the most water thirsty plants in the shade. Generally speaking, an area exposed to the south gets the most sun during the year and the northword facing sides of the yard receive the least. Other factors such as wind direction factor in as well. You can also manipulate the path of the sun by placing large shade trees to the south of the yard that will then provide shaded north facing lots where more water thirsty plants can reside.
No. 2 Use Drought resistant plants
There are many drought tolerant trees, shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses to choose from. Our drought tolerant plants page lists many of them here. Choosing drought resistant plants can save you hundreds of dollars in water bills. Whereas in the past, drought tolerant conjured up the image of a gravel yard with catcus, the name has taken new connotations and many low water landscaped yards may even pass off as semi tropical if executed properly.
No. 3 Group Plants Wisely
Place water thirsty plants together and out of the path of the full force of the sun. Place drought tolerant plants together. A yard might make a progression from low water use drought tolerant plants (succulents, cacti, etc) to aloes, lord's candle, to drought resistant shrubs, to low water grasses, to palms, to tropicals (weather permitting). By grouping the water thirsty plants together, you only have one or two areas that need heavier watering during those summer days.
No. 4 Limit Your Lawn
Now this might sound anti-patriotic for an American to size down the lawn, but it doesn't mean you have to get rid of the lawn. The point is, only have lawn where it's needed and thin out as many unneccesay corners and low use areas as possible. The worst thing to do is run a rectangle lawn the length of the yard and just throw hundreds of dollars down the drain. You can very well have a decent sized lawn that looks to fill the yard but is actually half the square feet of a rectangle. Try knocking off corners, concaving in the sides (kidney bean style) and so on to limit your overall square feet of sod. It's also important to choose a lawn that is appropriate for your climate. Finally, in areas of low use, you may consider lawn-like ornamental grasses to give a lawn like appearance with half the water usage.
No. 5 Proper irrigation
How many times do we see sprinklers watering the concrete, sending valuable H20 right down the storm drain? It's important to check the layout of your sprinkler system regularly and adjust the heads as needed. Only water plants when needed, don't let the sprinklers come on in the rain, just before, or just after. It's also important to water at night or early in the morning when evaporation forces are at bay.
No. 6 Improve the quality of your soil
Routinely cultivate your soil, incorporating organic matter such as compost. Doing so improves the soil's ability to resist evaporation and retain moisture. In heavy or compacted soils around trees, you can improve air and water penetration with a heavy-duty drill and a screw-like auger (available at hardware stores and nurseries). Bore 12- to 18-inch holes, 3 to 4 feet apart into the ground withing the tree's drip line.
No. 7 Hardscape and Mulch
Use permeable paving that allows water to seep into the soil, instead of solid concrete the encourages greater runoff.
Decomposed granite or flagstones offer a beautiful permeated hardscape at a reasonable price. It's also important to mulch effectively to reduce weeds, slow erosion, and reduce the amount of water lost through evaporation. Organic mulches such as shredded bark, compost, and aged sawdust are best because they break down. A 2- to 4-inch layer, spread beneath the canopy of a plant is ideal.
No. 8 Control Weeds
These garden intruders steal water needed by desirable plants. Regularly hoe or pull them out when they're youn, or use landscape fabrics or mulches to contain them. It's important to fight the battle with the weeds BEFORE they seed. Many people go after the weeds once they've taken over and all the effictively do is remove the dying host plant material and spread the seeds for next year's generation. By removing the weeds before they seed, you can make your yard 95% weed free within a couple of years of so doing.
No. 9 Keep Plants Healthy
If they're robust, they'll be able to withstand dry periods better than plants that are troubled by pests, planted in the wrong locations, or improperly cared for.
No. 10 Care for container plants
Group containers so they shade one another. During droughts or periods of drying winds, place them in the deepst shade they can tolerate. Mix water-holding polymers into potting soil. (For details ask your nursery.) Be sure to wet the entire rootball (it may take several passes with a hose). Double-pot; set small pots inside larger ones, wiht a layer of sand or gravel between. Or set pots into the ground up to the rims. And top-dress pots with a layer of cobbles, bark, or rough compost over the soil surface.
