Water Wise Gardening or Xeriscaping:The ultimate gardening challenge is to choose the best possible plants for the areas you have. That means if you have a garden that tends to bake in the summer and the soil conditions are not conducive to holding moisture, then drought-tolerant plants are the best choice for you.
Drought-tolerant gardening means planting or designing gardens that require less water and maintenance. The plants still require some moisture and young plants will need a period of time and watering to become established before they can be relied upon as drought-tolerant.
Advantages:- lower water bills
- less time and work needed for maintenance
- drought-tolerant plants will have a better survival rate when water restrictions are implemented
- increased habitat for birds and other wildlife
Disadvantages:- may require more start-up to prepare planting beds
- requires that people change their perception of gardens and focus more on water conservation
Tips:- choose very hardy and native plants to your area
- take note of other plants that tolerate or avoid water stress in your neighbourhood
- when laying the plants out in your garden, group them together in a pleasing arrangement with similar water requirements
- plants that require more water (such as vegetables) are grouped together
- minimize lawn areas using drought -tolerant turf-grass species where turf is needed at all
Maintenance:- plants that are not under stress require less maintenance and have fewer pest and disease problems
- For new plants, as per our planting instructions, it is best to water deeply (leave the hose on a trickle for 10-15 minutes), leave the plants alone for a day and then water deeply again. In extreme drought, water deeply every 2 to 3 days, plants will develop deeper roots
- Install a rain barrel to capture the rain.
- Use a compost (or peat moss) in the soil before mulching will hold water better. Triple blend soil has more additives in the soil that hold moisture than basic topsoil.
- Mulching your gardens has many benefits: holds the moisture into the ground thus reducing the amount of water needed, helps to reduce weeds that compete with plants and reduce your labour, creates lovely aesthetics and fills in the blank spots.
- Cultivate any beds that do not have mulch, allowing water and air to absorb into the root zone.
- Repair any leaks in your hoses.
- Make sure any sprinkler heads are watering the plants, not any asphalt or concrete.
- Stop watering when runoff occurs, anything after that is just wasteful.
- Fertilize regularly as phosphorus stimulates healthy root growth.
Selected Drought-Tolerant Trees, Shrubs and VinesSelected Drought-Tolerant Perennials and AnnualsThere has been an increase in public interest in water conservation. Instead of watching the water run off our landscape and into the sewers,
what can we do to tap into this amazing resource? You may have heard
about or seen a new type of gardening called rainwater
harvesting or rain gardens.
Rainwater Harvesting:This summer has seen its share of violent storms in between the waves of heat and humidity. Sometimes the ground is so rock hard from the sun, that the intense rainstorms cannot penetrate the garden to provide the necessary moisture. Wouldn't it be great to harvest some of that rainfall? It is not a new practice, people have been doing it for generations. It is quite common in places of the world where that is the only source of water. Rainwater is almost neutral in ph, free of salts and minerals and after filtration, can be free of natural and manmade contaminants.
There are large complex harvesting systems that include cisterns and filtration. At home we can install rainbarrels to capture the moisture. We can use this wonderful renewable resource on our plants, vegetable gardens, birdpaths, re-fill our ponds and water our lawns.
Benefits:- relief of strain on other water supplies
- lower water supply cost
- ability to build or farm in areas with no other water supply
- cleaner water
- increased independence and water security
- reduced flood flows
- reduced topsoil loss
- improved plant growth
- greater sensitivity to and connection with natural cycles
Rain GardensA Rain Garden is a shallow depression on your property that is designed to naturally collect stormwater that runs off from the roof, driveway, patio and lawn and temporarily hold it until it has had the chance to percolate into the ground and replenish the water table. A rain garden is not a water garden, nor is it a pond or a wetland. Interestingly enough, a rain garden is dry most of the time. There is no standing water to encourage the breeding of mosquitoes.
Building one is relatively easy. It can be incorporated into any existing garden, it doesn't take a lot of space and can fit into odd shapes. Contact "call before you dig" before you start to locate all existing services. Choose a location that is in full sun (or a partial sun) and avoid large existing trees to avoid conflicts with any large root systems. Dig a shallow depression with a level bottom as large in circumference as you are comfortable with. If your soil is sandy, it will drain well so loosen the soil and improve it with some compost prior to planting. If your soil is clay, your rain garden can become waterlogged and not drain well. Replace the surface soil with a mixture of garden loam that includes compost and sand to allow for easier drainage.
When planting the rain garden, select hardy, native plants (remember to avoid any invasive or noxious species such as purple loosestrife). Follow the planting instructions and water your planting every other day for the first few weeks until the plants are growing and well established. Once established, they'll thrive well without additional watering and fertilizers. They serve a purpose of filtering the toxins, particles of dirt, fertilizer, chemicals, oil, garbage and bacteria out the stormwater. These plants include (but not limited to): Goatsbeard (Aruncus), Astilbe, Dogwood (Cornus), Tickseed (Coreopsis), Coneflower (Echinacea), Hydrangea, Liatris, Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia).
Benefits:- makes good use of stormwater runoff, improves water quality
- asthetically pleasing
- attracts beneficial birds, butterflies and insects
- easy to maintain after establishment
Capturing the Rain by AquascapeDo you know another gardener who might enjoy this article?
