By Pat Cook, Master Gardener, SCMG
Over the next few weeks watch for lots of information on ways that you can design a water wise garden. We will be posting a number of detailed articles related to ways to use water more efficiently and keep rain on your property rather than letting it run into the storm sewers.
Wasting water isn’t just bad for our environment; it’s bad for our plants, our wallets and our backs. During the summer months water demand can increase by up to 50% largely due to outdoor water use. Being more conscious of the water we use in the garden is every gardener’s responsibility.
As responsible gardeners we should aim to keep all water (rain and water from the hose) on our property rather than letting it run off, down the sidewalk, driveway, etc. into the storm sewers.
Where can we begin to capture water? Let’s take a moment to look at that and rethink how much water we allow to go down the drain when we garden.
If we rethink the way we garden we can reduce the amount of water needed to keep our gardens looking beautiful. As responsible gardeners we can design our gardens in certain ways and use a combination of methods to reduce the need of watering. We can practice better watering techniques, collect and store rain water and plant in ways to reduce your garden’s thirst for water.
Choose Native Plants
Reduce water consumption (and your monthly utility bill) by using native plants in your garden. Native plants are not only good for attracting beneficial insects and pollinators, they require far less maintenance saving time, money and water. Natives plants have adapted to the amount of rainfall in your area so they are more drought tolerant.
Xeriscaping & Careful Plant Selection
People assume that xeriscaping means growing only cactus and yuccas and covering the soil with gravel or stones. Nothing could be further from the truth. Xeriscaping is about selecting plants that can thrive in the landscape with as little supplemental water as possible. Use local native species in addition to other drought resistant plants from dry climates around the world. Learn which plants require less water or have better methods of obtaining water (i.e., a long taproot system) or retaining water (waxy leaves that retard transpiration). Group plants with similar watering requirements together according to their watering needs.
Reduce your lawn area
Irrigating a lawn requires 2-3 times more water than irrigating a mixed landscape. In addition to water consumption, consider the time and the resources necessary to maintain a beautiful lawn. Lawns stay lush and beautiful the more you water them. Look for alternate turf selections like incorporating white or red clover into your lawn area. Replace an area of your lawn with native grasses, shrubs, flowers and ground covers (use native plants where possible). Replacing your lawn with native perennials adds to the biodiversity of your garden. Areas of lawn that include only one type of plant such as turf grass, offer little habitat value for wildlife.
Add Permeable Surfaces
Another way that we can control the water in our gardens is the use of permeable surfaces in your yard. Using non-porous surfaces like pavement, concrete, patio stones, directs water into storm drains.
Adding permeable surfaces will help ground water recharge by allowing water to flow into open spaces and into the ground between the patio stones. Install pavers over a bed of sand and gravel or use pea gravel or wood chips for pathways, allowing water to seep in rather than run off.
Mulch Pathways
A popular way to reduce water runoff is to use mulch on walkways and paths. You can choose material like shredded wood or chopped bark or even shredded leaves. Mulch keeps soil beneath it cool and therefore prevents evaporation. Rain seeps into the mulch rather than running off into the storm sewers. Organic mulch products break down over time and feed the earth.
Catch the Rain
Installing a rain barrel to your eve troughs allows you to catch precious rainwater to be used later to irrigate your garden.
Use downspout extenders or soaker hoses attached to rain barrels to direct the water to where it is needed. Use rock filled trenches or faux rivers to direct rainwater to plants (not to driveways, sidewalks – which eventually end up in storm sewers).
Water Wisely
Water at the right time of day – avoid watering in the heat of the day. Keep an eye on the weather (don’t water when rain is in the forecast).
Install an irrigation system or drip irrigation or soaker hoses (install a timer). Direct the water into the soil rather than spraying the leaves of plants where more evaporation will take place.
Install a Rain Garden
Rain gardens contain native plants, such as shrubs, grasses and wildflowers that help absorb and filter runoff. With roots that reach deeper into the soil, native plants promote infiltration better than a shallow root system and can handle the drought flood situation they have been planted into.
