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The Water Wise Garden - article gives practical advice and alternatives to your thirsty lawn

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2008 at 6:53 am

From the Pasadena Star News:

Isn’t it time to get serious about your garden water usage? Headlines tell us water shortages are coming, along with possible rationing. Even if rationing isn’t necessary, our water bills are bound to go up.

You do have control over how much water you use in the garden. No, you don’t have to rip out everything and plant succulents, although that’s a choice some homeowners have made with happy results.

The best first step is to look carefully at your lawn. It’s the biggest consumer of water and the perfect place to begin a conservation program. The typical lawn requires about 48 inches of water each year to have a lush, green look. Nature supplies an average of 14 inches of that water, all of which is concentrated in the winter months. So the easiest way to reduce garden water consumption is to remove all or at least part of your lawn.

What to put in its place? Any number of groundcovers will look as good or better. My favorite is dymondia margaretae, a plant that forms a tight map and spreads slowly. The top of the leaf is green and the underside is white but the leaves curl giving it an overall silver look. A little difficult to get established, dymondia will eventually spread and send down deep roots which makes it drought tolerant. Dymondia will tolerate light foot traffic and sends up yellow daisy-like flowers in summer.

Find out more groundcover alternatives to grass in this useful article filled with practical advice from the Pasadena Star News - click here.

May 31, 2008 · Filed Under Drought, Weather & Snowpack

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