A quote from Pam Penick’s excellent book ‘The Water-Saving Garden’:
“… we design our homes and grade our property to shed water and then pay to pipe it back in and spray it across our yards when rainfall is scarce – and often even when it isn’t. With a heedlessness born of cheap, plentiful water – a supply many regions can no longer count on – we run our sprinklers automatically and excessively … and let rainwater and irrigation run off our yards and driveways into the street. This is madness. We
must stop treating water as a disposable commodity in our landscapes and gardens and conserve it as the precious, limited resource it is.” (p. 1)
Why a drought-resistant garden?
- Water is a precious and diminishing resource
- Watering with city water is expensive
- Using excessive city water puts a strain on water services
- Treated water is not needed for plants, even harmful to them
- Climate change patterns indicate hotter, dryer weather to come
A xeriscape garden doesn’t mean gravel, 2 boulders and a bare obelisk. It means using drought-resistant plants; plants with long taproots to obtain water (dandelions never seems to suffer when dry); or plants which can retain water – waxy leaves, fuzzy leaves slow transpiration. It also means landscaping to maximize the use of the rainfall you receive.
Landscaping ideas to save water
- Use rain barrels to catch water from your roof. Plants prefer rain water over treated water
- Mulch with natural products to slow drying
- Add humus to your soil to retain water
- If you must water, use drip hoses. The water can be directed to where it is needed, and there is little loss due to evaporation
- Irrigate less often and deeply. This encourages roots to grow further down
- Terraces, berms, retaining walls and raised beds all catch rain and give it a chance to soak in, rather than running off immediately
- Plant ‘thirsty’ plants all in one area
- Reduce lawn area and replace it with beds or ground covers which need less water, no fertilizer and no mowing
- Use permeable surfaces such as gravel on driveways and paths
- Choose plants well-adapted to our climate and to your particular garden
- Plant trees, build arbours and pergolas for shade
- Use containers made of wood, metal or glazed material. Terra cotta dries rapidly. Use coir (coconut fiber) in your potting mix to hold water
- Underplant your specimen plants with lower growing or ground cover plants
Plant choices
There is no one ‘right way’ to plant a garden that uses less water than a conventional one. Plant thoughtfully and be willing to change plants and/or hardscape as needed.
Plants native to your area typically require little watering beyond rainfall since they are accustomed to the local climate.
Find out more!
http://www.landscapeontario.com
Or check out the following books :
- Hadden, Evelyn J. “Beautiful no-mow Yards – 50 amazing lawn alternatives”
- Johnson, Lorraine.”Grow Wild – Native Plant Gardening in Canada”
- Ogen, Lauren Springer. “The Undaunted Garden Planting for Weather Resilient Beauty”
- Penick, Pam. “The Water Saving Garden. How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden with a Lot Less Water”
- Rice, Graham. “Planting in the Dry Shade Garden”
Submitted by Leslye Glover