Creating a low water landscape
Your garden and yard can either add to, or detract from your home. One of the surest ways to have your garden detract from your home is to have dead or dying plants. Some areas have severe drought, and others limit how often you can water, or how much water consumption each household can do. So, what are some ways to have a beautiful garden and yard without having to have a lot of water? Try the following:
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- Choose your plants carefully. Plants are very lovely, and a great way to add appeal to your yard, but not all plants are created equally when it comes to water consumption needs. So, choose water-wise plants. These are things like daylilies, blanket flowers, rosemary, ornamental grasses, etc. There are several varieties of plants, ranging from flowers, to ground covers, to herbs, that need little water. So, when designing your landscaping plan, focus on the majority of your plants being less dependent on water. Cacti and other succulents are great choices for extremely dry climates, or desert like conditions, but some do have thorns, so be careful to consider children.
- If you want to have grass in your yard, your best options include ornamental grasses, or the drought tolerant, slow growing, turfgrass called buffalo grass. This grass does not require a lot of water, and as an added bonus, it does not require much maintenance either, as it grows very slowly, it only has to be mowed a few times each year.
- Use mulch. Mulch is critical to those who want to create a low water landscape. The beauty of mulch is that it makes the most of the water you do get, so you can use less. In other words, mulch is a water conserver. How? It helps your garden to retain soil moisture. In addition, it can act as a stabilizer of soil temperature, and discourages weed growth, which means you won't be using your precious water to grow weeds.
Besides choosing plants that require very little water, you can also use plenty of hard scape. Many people in desert like areas, have opted to put in paths, walls, and other items that require no or little maintenance, and can be accessorized with some plant life to still give your yard the look and feel of the outdoors. So, for example, you can put a flag stone path in your yard, and some potted plants along it. You can create a patio, and cut down your grass space, or you can supplement some of the planted areas with gravel borders, etc.
Be environmentally friendly when planning your garden, and choose a low water landscape so that when you have drought, you do not become a drain on the water resources of our area.
