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The greener gardening idea: Drip irrigation or xeriscaping?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 17, 2009 at 7:18 am

From TreeHugger.com:

It’s tough to calculate precisely how much water the average American puts on their landscape every day. Sizes of yards, systems for watering, and ecological locations all vary greatly. But reliable estimates each of us uses between 112 gallons to 180 gallons a day, and the EPA estimates 30% of a household’s water use goes to watering the yard. While estimates are varied, there’s one thing we can agree on: When water is scarce, pouring it on ornamental landscaping is wasteful. But there’s another thing we can all agree on: Well-tended landscapes are pretty. How can we have our cake and eat it too? Two options come to mind – drip irrigation and xeriscaping. But which is the more eco-friendly solution?

Is Saving Water In the Garden That Important?

This is a pretty localized issue. In places with plenty of precipitation, the cheapest, greenest solution is clear – you barely have to water at all, anyway, so use the system you have as conservatively as possible. However, for more drought-prone places like California, Nevada and the Southwest, this is a question with big implications. No matter where we’re located, interest in saving water is on the tips of everyone’s tongue. And with yards being given 20-40% more water than they need, anyone tending a yard likely has room to improve. So what’s the best way to go about doing it?

Find out more by reading the TreeHugger blog by clicking here.

June 17, 2009 · Filed Under Drought Tolerant Landscaping

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