Water-Wise Gardening

Learn how you can transform your landscape into an eye-catching oasis that demands less water and low maintenance.

When summer sizzles, your yard doesn't have to fizzle. Put Xeriscape* techniques to work for you, and your open-air space will look great—no matter how high the mercury climbs.

Earth-friendly and easy to care for, Xeriscape landscaping headlines ecologically sound practices that reduce water use, maintenance, and costs. The term describes a type of landscaping developed in Colorado in the early 1980s, when decreasing water supplies and ongoing outdoor watering restrictions made it clear that traditional landscapes couldn't survive with limited hydration. Xeriscape is derived from the Greek word xeric, which means "requiring little water."

Xeriscape blends seven gardening practices to reduce irrigation needs while maximizing water efficiency. These growing techniques make any yard go green—in every sense of the word. Adapt one or more of these principles to your outdoor space, and you'll be savoring the savings of xeriscaping. Scroll down for our lists of Xeriscape plants. These drought-resistant selections will add beauty to your landscape with rainfall as the sole source of hydration.

Step-by-Step

Greet spring with an entry that boasts lively colors and textures; it’s the perfect way to tell family and friends that it’s time to head outdoors.

• Design
  • When working with a new outdoor space, design to service your family's living needs while reducing wasted water. Place and grade driveways and patios to return rainwater runoff to your lawn or planting beds.
    In an existing landscape, lower water use by improving soil, adding mulch (#92116), and replacing annuals with drought-tolerant perennials. Consider trading in worn concrete or brick paths for natural materials-such as shredded bark or pea gravel-laid over weed-control fabric (#156295) to permit rain to percolate into the soil.
• Soil
  • Water penetrates some types of soil more quickly than others, which affects how long moisture remains available to plant roots. Assess your landscape with a soil test kit (#214248), and amend it to improve its water-holding capacity. This also ensures that planting beds provide ideal growing conditions. Testing soil in lawn areas helps fine-tune fertilizer practices. And no matter what you grow, soil improvements favor healthy, deep roots. (Plants with extensive root systems withstand droughts better and need less irrigation.)
• Turf
  • Xeriscaping doesn't outlaw grass, but carefully reconsiders its use. Knowing that large lawn areas guzzle water, only use them where they're most needed. Swap existing turf for drought-tolerant ground covers or mulched planting beds filled with native plants, or consider a grass type that demands less water to thrive.
• Plants
  • Fill your yard with native and drought-tolerant selections. These beauties thrive on less water and typically require less maintenance. Embrace the "right plant, right place" philosophy. Grow plants that will adapt to the conditions your landscape offers (nonadaptive plants demand more water, fertilizer, and time).
• Irrigation
  • Group plants with similar water needs so that you can establish irrigation zones, yielding the most efficient water use. Choose equipment that's low flow and delivers water directly to plant roots, such as a misting system (#71218) or a soaker hose (#88201). Install an automatic rain/freeze sensor (#172955) on automated water timers (#248105). Check irrigation systems frequently for leaks, and repair as soon as possible. For best results, water early in the morning.
• Mulch
  • Cover exposed ground with an organic mulch, such as shredded bark, pine needles, compost, or pea gravel. Apply a 2-inch-thick layer to prevent water evaporation from the soil. The ideal time to apply mulch (for water conservation) is in the spring, following seasonal rains and before summer heat pushes moisture from the soil.
• Maintenance
  • A Xeriscape landscape embraces organic gardening practices. For example, providing a variety of plants, water, food, and shelter sources for wildlife-combined with chemical-free pest-control practices-favors a web of life that helps control pests naturally. Rid your yard of weeds by hand-pulling them, laying a weed-control fabric (#156295) over the area, and then adding a layer of mulch. Fertilize with natural materials that provide a slow-release nutrition source, such as compost or manure.
    
    
  • *Xeriscape is a registered trademark of Denver Water, Denver, Co., and is used here with permission.

     

     

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