Drought Tolerant Landscaping Ideas
Don't let water use restrictions or a lack of rain stop your gardening dreams. Many beautiful plants thrive in dry conditions, and xeriscaping techniques can help you make the most of low humidity. Create a beautiful, water-saving yard with these drought-tolerant landscaping ideas.
1 Trim your lawn
Lawns are notorious water-guzzlers and many types of lawns require irrigation to stay green during droughts. Planting at least part of your lawn water-wise will help create a drought-tolerant landscape. Here, beautiful beds of drought-tolerant perennials near the house and sidewalk take the place of thirsty grass in this front yard.
2 Use decorative hardscape elements
Many plants offer luxuriant blooms but require tons of water; In their place, textured elements such as a circular path of sidewalks around a gravel core provide visual interest. Garden art, such as sculptures of a whimsical cat and orb, can add interest to a space of plants that need water. This water-saving landscape looks even greener, thanks to a careful selection of shrubs and evergreens that require very little additional water (except during periods of extreme drought). Drought-tolerant landscaping, such as the thyme shown here, weaves between large stones and provides a good way to catch rainwater that might run off hard scaping, especially on a gentle slope.
3 Plant your parking lot
The spaces between the curb and the pavement are sometimes called "hell bars" because they are hot, dry places. But they can also become a green oasis with the right water-wise design. Ornamental grasses, low-growing evergreens and drought-tolerant plants such as Artemisia in this parking strip garden help capture rainwater before it reaches the street, reducing soil erosion and downstream pollution.
4 Install water facility
A fountain may not seem like a first choice in a drought-tolerant garden, but good design can enable the feature to capture and recycle water. Here, a small raised pond with a fountain adorns this water-wise courtyard. The exotic greenery of Japanese forest grass and lamb's ear helps to soften the hardness and counteract the warming effect of pavements. Groundcovers like the thyme shown here help provide a cooling effect in key areas, such as wide spaces between stones.
5 Rely on water efficient plants
This drought tolerant garden uses several water saving techniques. A mix of hardy but colorful perennials like the red-flowered Penstemon doesn't need much moisture to thrive. Many types of evergreens provide texture, height and color that don't mind dry conditions. A large boulder fills a gap between plants, adding an unexpected focal point.
6 Choose fine materials
Help your plants get more water from irrigation systems or natural rainfall by choosing materials that are finer to hardness. That way, moisture has a chance to be absorbed by the soil instead of running off. Instead of mortar on this garden path, porous material between paving stones allows rain to soak into the soil. Mulch between drought tolerant plants helps reduce water loss while suppressing weeds.
Experimental garden tip: Many plants with gray or silver leaves are better drought tolerant. These include santolina, lamb's ear, lavender and Russian sage growing in this garden.
7 Design water-smart slopes
A steep slope can be challenging to manage runoff. This tiered garden bed offers a solution for a sloping area. Large rocks, ground cover, and a sturdy raised bed in a corner work together to reduce water loss and erosion.
Test Garden Tip: When plants need watering, do it early in the morning or late in the day to minimize water loss through evaporation.
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