Waterwise Gardening

Waterwise gardening is a method of landscaping that conserves water and protects the environment. It also helps decrease water system peak demand (the time when the most water is used by customers). With thoughtful decisions regarding plant selection and other gardening practices, we can promote sustainable gardening. 

Seven Fundamentals of Low Water Use

The following fundamentals of low water use gardening will help you create a successful landscape:

1. Soil Improvement: Adding compost to the soil will help to retain water and provide needed plant nutrients.
2. Appropriate Use of Turfgrass: Maintaining green lawns through the summer requires a large amount of water. Turf requires twice as much water as established drought tolerant plants.  Consider reducing your lawn area and replacing with drought tolerant and native plants. A greater diversity of plants also benefits pollinating insects and other wildlife.
3. Efficient Irrigation: There are a variety of irrigation technologies to choose from: surface systems, subsurface drip systems, timed and untimed systems, and hand watering. Efficiency in an irrigation system is attained by keeping the system well maintained and applying water only as plants need it. Good soil preparation and careful plant selection can alleviate the need for irrigation altogether.
4. Use of Mulch: Mulch reduces the amount of moisture that evaporates from bare ground, helps insulate plant roots during cold periods, and deters weed growth.
5. Selection of Plants: Select plants that thrive in the microclimate of the site. Consider temperature, soil types, available sunlight, humidity, and moisture characteristics. Plants native to our region are an excellent choice.
6. Planning and Design: Evaluate existing conditions and assess your needs. What are your conservation goals? How much time can you devote to your garden? When designing a garden, it is important to group plants with similar requirements together. This will prevent you from over-watering plants that really don’t need that much water. 
7. Appropriate Maintenance: Even drought resistant plants require additional watering until established (usually three to six months). Planting is best done in fall and early spring to take advantage of natural precipitation and mild temperatures. Keep weeds under control by hand weeding to reduce competition with desired plants.