With the nice weather of the spring arriving, many of us are
paying attention to our landscapes with an eye toward changing
things. Designing your garden to use water efficiently can be both
eco-rewarding and economically-rewarding.
With the nice weather of the spring arriving, many of us are paying attention to our landscapes with an eye toward changing things. Designing your garden to use water efficiently can be both eco-rewarding and economically-rewarding.
Here are some simple steps to take in garden design:
• Get To Know Your Site – Pay attention to your garden’s unique characteristics and microclimates. Which areas get lots of sun and/or wind? Are their drainage problems? Where are the most visible spots in the garden? Where are there steep slopes?
• Zone Your Landscape – Organize your garden into zones to help you water efficiently. A high-water use zone for lawns and other water-loving plants should be located near entryways or areas of heavy use. A moderate-use zone is good for plants that need occasional watering. A low-use zone is appropriate for those plants that need to be watered very infrequently. By creating these zones, you can set up your irrigation schedule to minimize your water waste and the time you need to spend watering.
• Analyze Your Needs – Think about what needs (play area, vegetable gardening, entertaining, privacy screening, etc.) you want your garden to serve.
• Put Turf To Practical Use – While lawns are useful for playing and entertaining, they do require constant upkeep. Put turf only where it will be used and enjoyed.
• Plan An Efficient Irrigation System – Choose irrigation equipment that will meet the needs of the zones you’ve identified. If you would like more information, please contact me at 779-7247 or en*****@***************ca.gov to obtain water wise irrigation information.
• Make A Master Plan And Implement It – Taking all of the information you’ve developed in steps 1 – 5, now you should put it all together into a master plan for your garden. Consider your long-term interests, select your plants and have fun planting them.
Eco-Fact of the Week: The city has free water-wise garden information packets available. Contact us at 779-7247 or en*****@***************ca.gov to request one. Much of the information in this column was distilled from this packet.
Eco-Web Sites of the Week: The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s website at http://www.valleywater.org/Water/Water_conservation/Landscaping/index.shtm contains water conservation resources. Another site, which describes a fabulous water conserving garden, can be found at http://209.216.250.185/garden/tour/index.html .
