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The drought tolerant landscape

Posted by: Maven on June 14, 2009 at 10:31 am

From the Examiner:

As water becomes an ever more critical resource, there is less reason than ever to be designing and planting water-guzzling landscapes. With water rationing, a drought tolerant garden is the best solution. Unfortunately, many folks are under the impression that this means they must have a sparse, hungry looking garden in varied shades of olive and brown. Nothing could be further from the truth. Drought tolerant means exactly what it says. There are plants that bloom luxuriantly and still require minimal water. These plants may not look tough, but indeed they are.

Cactus and succulent gardens, when thoughtfully designed with paths, boulders, rocks, even sculptures, can become a maze of fascinating texture and color, created in diverse scenes. California natives can be selected to be as ornamental as any other flowering plant. Seeding California native annuals in fall and winter can blanket the ground with startling color by early and mid spring. Perennials can be grouped to give color most of the year. There is also a growing selection of wonderful new plants from South Africa and Australia where the climate is similar to here. Mid summer is the resting period for most CA natives. The hot dry air gives them the same signal for dormancy as the cold winter does to most plants in the cooler parts of the country. If you want color in your garden during this resting period, try planting an area or two with colorful plants that do require summer water. Give them a selected sprinkler valve, or, better, snake in a drip irrigation line (putting it on a timer so you don’t have to think about it), and these specific areas will brighten up your garden for the short few months the natives are sleeping. You will still keep your water bills low and your maintenance minimal.

Read more from The Examiner by clicking here.

June 14, 2009 · Filed Under Drought Tolerant Landscaping

Comments

One Response to “The drought tolerant landscape”

  1. Rebel Gardener on June 15th, 2009 11:47 am

    It’s great to see drought tolerant plants becoming more and more popular all around the world.

    There are so many different types to choose from, many of which are still undiscovered in many garden centers.

    Recently I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia where they now have many drought tolerant gardens, one of which was called the “Californian Garden” which included many drought tolerant plants from California.

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