With the changing climatic conditions, water is becoming more precious, and preserving it is important for sustainability. When designing your home landscape, you need to focus on design elements that will help you minimize water usage while still achieving your visual and durability goals.
Landscaping that’s focused on water conservation or xeriscaping is not a specialty for arid regions alone. Today, you can apply some xeriscaping principles even in semi-arid or well-watered regions. Here are some practical tips on how to design landscapes that thrive with minimal water use, regardless of where you are.
Plan for Your Landscape Design Project
A successful landscape design project starts with careful planning. You’ll need to understand what the right materials, plants, and landscape features fit your space before you start bringing your landscape to life. Also, you need to identify and spare the specific areas where hardscape, drainage, slope, and plants will be situated.
Sometimes, the whole planning process might not require too much input, especially if you’re dealing with a small flat land that doesn’t need a lot of leveling work. However, if your yard is made up of irregular surfaces, you may need professional help planning and designing your landscape. That’s not to say that professional landscaping services are only good for complex projects. You can hire a professional landscaper anytime you need excellent landscape planning and design.
Improve the Soil
Before you plant anything in your yard, you might want to stop and verify if you have the right soil quality. By identifying and rectifying weaknesses in your soil, you can help your plants perform better even with minimal water intake. A good soil retains moisture, allowing your plants to have the necessary resources they need to grow and produce.
Choose the Right Drought-Tolerant Plants
While drought-tolerant plants are crucial for successful xeriscaping, it’s important to choose the right ones for your region. When you choose native plants, you’re signing up for good performance with minimal threats from diseases and pests infestation. Since they’re in their natural habitat, these natives can also seamlessly contribute to ecological activities such as pollination.
Once you have the right plant selection, you can group them according to their water needs. Plants with similar water needs should be planted close to each other so you can effectively care for them. Also, consider planting a few trees close by to protect the plants you’re using as earth covers from extreme heat in the hottest months.
Use Efficient Irrigation Systems
Achieving minimal water usage in landscaping is also about investing in the right irrigation systems. Since you’ve already grouped plants into their respective water use zones, you should follow this up with installing the right irrigation systems to meet those needs.
Plants that need more water can work well with sprinkler systems that turn on in the morning and evening. However, plants that need minimal water can survive with drip irrigation systems that will supply just enough water needed for their root development and growth. You can also install rain sensors on the irrigation controllers to prevent unneeded irrigation.
Harvest and Store Rainwater
If your region experiences extreme conditions in all seasons, you might want to take advantage of the excess rainwater while it still lasts. You can install rain barrels to collect rainwater from your roof, downspouts, and other surfaces and store it for later use. Depending on your garden size and water filtration demands you can invest in a barrel size and style that will sufficiently meet your needs.
Alternatively, you can install a cistern if you really need a large amount of water as they can store up to hundreds or thousands of rainwater gallons. They’re also a great option if you don’t have enough storage space on the ground as they can be stored underground. Generally, incorporating water harvesting systems into your landscape design is a great way to tackle water shortage issues and close sustainability gaps.
Designing drought-resistant landscapes is good for the environment and also helps you save money on utility bills and yard maintenance costs. By implementing these tips, you can trust that your water usage will significantly decline, saving you lots of liters of water every year.
