California is facing another drought, and so are many other states.  Water use may be curtailed causing water rates to go straight up. Summer is when our water bill goes ballistic with >$100 months commonplace. Gardens use a lot of water. Lawns use 50-80% of  a household’s water. Our garden uses close to 75% of our water, probably because we conserve so much. Drought Tolerant Plants, drought resistant plants, and Xeriscaping, help you by saving water in garden.

Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping and xerogardening (based on Greek word for ‘dry’) are landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation. Denver Water pioneered the first Xeriscape garden. They suggest the following 7 principles:

1. Plan and Design your garden on paper. How will it be used? Soil or rock pathways use no water. Space plants further apart to give roots more space.
2. Compost and mulch to help the soil retain water, prevents erosion, and keep weeds away. Some people use old newspaper as mulch.
3. Water your garden efficiently. Intelligent sprinklers, zones, water deeply and infrequently, water in morning. Collect rain water.
4. Select Drought Tolerant plants and Native plants. Group plants with similar light and water requirements.  Put moderate water-use plants in low-lying drainage areas, near downspouts.  Plant Vegetables in shaded areas.
5. Plant Native grasses
6. Maintain your garden. Fertilize, cut grass and recycle grass, prune, compost remains

Some cities and water departments like Austin, Texas and Cary, North Carolina pay “cash for grass” .

Saving Water with Lawns

Keeping a green lawn takes a lot of care and cost.

• During hot weather, lawns need 1/2″ of water ever other day.

• Best time to Water your lawn, grass, or garden is early in morning to lessen evaporation. It is not at night as lawn disease may occur.
• Water more deeply, not more often. Water every other day.
• Make sure your sprinkler system is setup correctly, water times are set optimally,  and water does not leak.

Ditch the lawn or replace it with artificial turf. Flowers use less water than grass.

San Francisco Bay Area Native Plants

Here are some suggestion for the San Francisco Bay Area, consult your local nursery for additional ones. Many Mediterranean and Australian plants can thrive here with low water footprints.

Mexican bush sage, Mexican sage, velvet sage

photo credit: thisisbossi

Salavia Apiana

photo credit: TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋)

Achillea millefolium

photo credit: wanko

Antirrhinum

photo credit: Eran Finkle -ערן פינקל

Solanum

Nepeta, Lambs ears, meadow grasses, fesuca occidentalis are all good low water plants too.

This article has tips on less thirsty landscapes including using permeable surfaces, mulch, irrigation.  The article’s resources are useful.

Key elements in gardening include avoiding pesticides, composting, Drought Tolerant Plants, Xeriscaping, Saving Water in Garden, minimizing water use, avoiding weeds, and recycling. Be sure to read Economics of a Vegetable Garden.