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10 Water-Saving Tips for the Garden

Periods of drought are increasing throughout much of the country, which can directly affect our gardens. Even if your plants survive on natural rainfall amounts, you may need to provide extra water during a drought. For many dry-climate gardens, supplemental irrigation is a must throughout the year. In addition, our outdoor spaces add to the curb appeal and our enjoyment of our home, so it makes sense to create a garden that uses water most efficiently.

A large percentage of residential water use occurs outdoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, making it a great place to implement practices that reduce the water we use. Here are ten water-saving tips that will reduce your water usage while allowing you to enjoy a beautiful outdoor space that is drought resilient. Many of these tips can be implemented right away with immediate water savings.

1. Use Native Plants

Use plants that are native to your region or those that come from areas with similar climate and rainfall amounts. Native or regionally adapted plants will need less supplemental water as they are adapted to average rainfall amounts where you live.

2. Contour Your Landscape

Contour your landscape to capture rainfall instead of letting it run off into the street. Create swales, gently sunken or raised areas of the landscape that funnel rainwater toward plants, allowing them to get a welcome drink of water.

3. Allow Plants to Grow

Allow plants to grow their natural shape and size. Pruning plants stimulate increased growth and, when frequently pruned, require more water to grow back than those pruned once or twice a year. Plants that are allowed to grow their full-size shade more ground, reducing the amount of water that evaporates into the atmosphere.

4. Use Irrigation System

Make sure your irrigation system is in good working order. Over time, leaks can occur in irrigation lines, wasting water. Do annual checks of your system to ensure there are no unexplained wet areas. Make sure that irrigation water reaches plants and isn’t wasted in areas with no plants, such as sprinklers spraying onto the sidewalk.

5. Install Drip Irrigation System

Install a drip irrigation system. The most efficient way to provide supplemental water for plants is through drip irrigation, where water is delivered to plants with small emitters that drip water to plants. This watering method has been used in dry climate regions for decades and is becoming more popular in other areas. Drip irrigation provides water to the root zone of plants without runoff and can be tailored specifically to the particular needs of each plant.

6. Water Plants

Water plants according to their needs, dividing them into separate irrigation zones. Create individual zones for plants depending on the frequency they need water. To begin, group shrubs, groundcovers, and vines on an irrigation zone separate from trees (which require less frequent watering). High-water-use plants such as containers and vegetable gardens can be on their own zone.

7. Use Mulch

Apply mulch around plants to slow down evaporation from the soil. Mulch also helps to prevent weeds and moderates soil temperatures. Apply a 3-inch layer around plants every spring. Avoid letting mulch directly touch tree trunks (which can encourage fungal disease), keeping it about 6 inches away. There are different types of mulch – organic and inorganic (landscape rock). Organic mulches such as pine needles, shredded bark, and tree leaves are a great choice as they break down slowly, enriching the soil.

8. Use Drought-Tolerant Plants

Use drought-tolerant shrubs and perennials throughout the garden and incorporate succulents. Remove thirsty plants that require frequent watering and replace them with drought-tolerant alternatives suited for your garden region – plants native to your area are a great way to go. Incorporate cacti and other succulents, which require little to no supplemental water, and add texture and interest to the garden with their unusual shapes.

9. Watering Early in the Morning

Water plants early in the morning. Plants utilize water most efficiently in the morning before the day’s heat arrives – this is especially important if you use sprinklers to water your lawn or other plants. Up to 30 – 50% of the water from a sprinkler is instantly lost to evaporation before it hits the ground when turned on during mid-day and the afternoon.

10. Use Groundcovers

Switch out your thirsty lawn for attractive groundcovers. Remove non-functional lawn areas (used for decorative purposes only) and replace them with drought-tolerant groundcovers. Many drought-tolerant groundcovers are lush-green in appearance and, when massed together, can create a similar look to the lawn.

With increasing temperatures, drought is becoming more widespread throughout the country. Thankfully, we can do something about that in the areas around our home. Drought-resilient gardens can be beautiful, and you’ll feel good knowing you are using water efficiently. Implementing these water-saving tips will enable you to create a beautiful, drought-resilient garden that you will enjoy for years to come during periods of drought or when rain is plentiful.