Waterwise Garden Tips

By Jos Van Hage

More gardeners are looking for water wise gardening ideas as water in the summer months is not always readily available. There are some things that can be done to help ensure plants survival when water is minimal. On lawns for example, you can keep the grass a little longer by raising the blade on the lawnmower. Longer grass will provide more shade for the plants roots, as well as lower the soil temperature which will slow the evaporation of moisture from the ground.

Another thing that can be done is keeping the lawn as weed free as possible so that the grass does not have to compete with weeds for moisture. During a dry spell the weeds tend to be more drought tolerant than the grass so will survive and take over the lawn if given the chance. Grass will go dormant if it becomes dry so if have to decide what to water first during a dry spell, choose the trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals first and let the lawn go dormant.

In the flower beds you can mulch plants as this will reduce the evaporation rate. Bark chips works well for this as well as for helping in keeping the weeds down. When you water, water in the morning as this will keep the plant moist and ready to face the heat of the day. Watering plants in the morning will also lower the chances of fungal disease which can occur more readily if plants are watered in the evening.

When you water plants you want to give them a good thorough water so that the top 6 inches of soil is wet. This is better than giving the plant a short drink more often. When you water plants deeper the plants roots will go down further to look for the moisture which is better than having the plants roots on the surface where they can dry out more quickly if there is a dry spell where you can not water. Also, by using a hand held hose to water plants is more efficient as you do not waste water on areas that do not require water.

Hedges can be watered by using a soaker hose around the plants roots where the water is needed. When you use a sprinkler there is more evaporation of moisture as the water is thrown in the air. Sometimes the soil can become so dry that it hardly absorbs the water as it runs off, and in this case you should give it a light water and then come back in a few minutes when the soil is slightly moist and give it a good thorough water. For plants that are in containers place the entire container in a water filled tub and allow it soak for 30 minutes so that the soil becomes absorbed with water.

Another way that we can grow a garden with less water is using plants that require less water than other plants. Once established there are plants that can tolerate drought better than others. Perennials such as Daylilies, Stonecrops, Yarrows, Hens& Chicks, Liatris, Cornflower, Coneflower and Snow in Summer are some of the perennials that do not need as much water as other perennials.

Annuals such as Celosia, Cosmos, Gazania, Ice Plant, Poppy, Portulaca, Scaevola, and Verbena can survive with the least amount of water. Drought tolerant trees, shrubs include Caragana, Cranberry, Larch, Pine, Potentilla, Snowball, Flowering Currant, and Russian Olive. Cedars require a lot of water but the Wareana is the toughest of the Cedars and require the least amount of water of all the cedars.

Water wise gardening is an effective way to still be able to have a beautiful landscape with a minimal amount of water!

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

-Highway 97 North

-Highway97 South at the old Cariboo Highway

-Highway 16 West

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