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July 8, 2008

Dry, dry again: Make a low-water yard

By Janisse Ray

A friend from Danielsville wrote recently to say that rain hasn’t fallen at her place in three weeks. Not a drop.

Last year at this time a friend from Macon wrote: “This is one of the most heartbreaking, depressing times in all my gardening. The rain deficit continues to climb along with the temperature, and I’ve lost dozens of plants and trees.”

This put me in mind of a kind of landscaping I learned about twenty years ago, called xeriscaping, which was popular in Phoenix and Miami. The word comes from Greek and means “dry.”

This might seem like cacti and rocks.

What xeriscaping means is landscaping in a way that conserves water:

1. Less lawn. (statistic) Grass can be concentrated in areas used for recreation or leisure. When planting grass, use a variety (such as bahia grass) that is drought tolerant. Ground covers make great alternatives to turf.

2. More mulches, such as chipped bark, pine needles, or oak leaves. These cover and cool soil, minimize evaporation, reduce weed growth, and slow erosion. Never, ever use cypress mulch. This is a pathetic use for a noble, slow-growing, wetlands tree.

3. An efficient watering system. Low-volume drip irrigation delivers water to plant roots. Water morning or evening to reduce evaporation.

4. Mostly native plants. These are adapted to Georgia’s climate, and usually can survive both drought and heavy rainfall.

The key to xeriscaping is to cluster plants according to similar water and sunlight needs, creating landscape zones. There are three zones: Oasis, Drought Tolerant, and Natural.

The Oasis zone should be located in high-visibility areas, since it includes showy, thirsty plants like roses and grass. It should be kept as small as possible. The Drought Tolerant zone needs occasional watering, maybe every week or two. The Natural zone may never need water, since it consists of drough-resistant plans that, once established, can survive on rainfall alone.

Good design is the future of the world. Draw a map of your yard that shows current conditions: permanent structures, slopes, drainage, and existing vegetation. Then create a design for your yard that would reduce its dependence on water. Mark Oasis zones, gardens, desired barriers such as a native hedge between you and an alley, trees you will leave intact and others you will plant.

Xeriscaping can reduce watering costs by up to 50 percent.





[bio] Janisse Ray is an environmental author who lives in south Georgia. One of her favorite native plants is wax myrtle, which makes a great hedge, loved by wildlife.



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