Water-wise Gardening

Native Sunflowers | All photos: Sarah Coulber, CWF

Some people think that gardening means perpetual weeding and watering. Whether you wish to save time, money or the environment, there are some simple ways to minimize or eliminate the need for watering — and some other gardening tasks, too.

Purple prairie clover

Plant Choice

Start by choosing native plants suited to the moisture, lighting and soil of your planting environment. For a drought-tolerant bed, choose plants that are suited to dry soils. Some native plant examples for full sun include perennial sunflowers, purple prairie clover, brown eye Susan, Canada wild rye grass, pasque flower and prickly pear cactus. If the area is in light or partial shade, try wild geranium, Christmas fern or foamflower.

Even if you don’t have a drought bed in your garden, you can still minimize watering needs with these gardening tips:

Amend the Soil

Add compost to your soil. This organic matter can break up clay soil and bind sandy soil, helping it to absorb water when it rains and release water during dry spells. Compost also helps to nourish the plant in a natural way. The healthier the plant, the more easily it can tolerate weather conditions and resist, and even deter, pests.

Planting

When you first put a plant in the garden, you need to water it until it has fully adjusted to its new spot. Water the hole before placing the plant in it, and water as needed for the first season or two. It’s best to water deeply (give the plant lots of water in one go) to encourage the plant’s roots to grow deep into the soil. Watch the rain fall and water accordingly. Deep roots are protected from the heat of the sun, get nutrients from deep in the earth and are less dependent on your watering services.

When planting, pay attention to the slope of the ground. A level garden is best, but you can also build up the soil slightly around the edges to help catch water when it rains.

Leaf matter as mulch

Mulch

Cover the earth with a few inches of mulch — a layer of organic matter placed on top of the soil. This can be a huge help in reducing plants’ need for water. There are many forms of mulch, including wood chips, straw, grass clippings, stones and a natural layer of fallen leaves, to name a few. Mulch also keeps weeds at bay by smothering their seeds and minimizing the number of weeds that do grow. Often, the lightness of the soil and mulch makes it easier to pull the weed out. It’s also important to know if you have any plants that are very particular about the acidity of the soil, as some mulches are more acidic than others. Check with your local nursery for more information.

Watering Tips

While some established gardens, such as the CWF demonstration gardens, never get watered, you may find that one or more of your beds need periodic watering. To minimize evaporation, water in the morning rather than in the hot afternoon sun and at ground level rather than spraying all over the plant. This will also help minimize any scorching of leaves or mildew problems.

Here are some Wild About Gardening links with information to get you started gardening for wildlife:

• CWF’s Native Plant Supplier List
• CWF’s Plant Encyclopedia 
• CWF’s list of Drought Tolerant Plants