When it’s hot, do you turn to the sprinkler to keep your plants happy and the kids well-watered? Water-wise gardening reduces the need for heavy watering during the summer months. While it begins with choosing suitable plants for your local conditions, being water wise is also about the ways in which you structure your garden landscape.

Sculpting Your Landscape

When you walk through a natural area, what do you see? You probably find patches of green and patches of brown, dry plants and soil. Take a close look at where those patches of green occur. They’re likely in dips in the soil or in shaded areas. You can create those little oasis in your landscape as well. Sculpt your yard to create swales, long trenches that hold moisture even if it hasn’t rained in some time. When it does rain or as the groundwater slowly moves downhill, you’ll find that plants grown immediately below the swale thrive in the abundance of water. You can also take advantage of naturally damp areas of your garden and use them to grow your water plants in a hollowed-out area called a rain garden.

The Right Plant in the Right Place

Depending on your current and historic climate, you’ll find that certain plants are well-adapted to your region while others struggle in hot, dry conditions. In those warm, dry places in your yard, choose plants that love dry places, such as sedums and yuccas or larger plants such as sumac or honeysuckle. It pays to plant the right plant in the right place, since your plants will suffer from less disease and require less water when they’re planted in the right place.

Making Mulch

In many climates, mulch is a key way to keep your garden happy throughout the summer. While mulch doesn’t water your garden, this layer of organic material prevents the sun’s rays from beating down on plant roots. When you water, the water soaks into the soil under the mulch, and the mulch prevents it from evaporating quickly.

Managing Water Flows

When the water does come, are you ready? Even if you live in a climate where it rains infrequently, you’ll want to collect that rain to use around the garden later in the summer. Your roof is your best water collector. As water flows into your gutters and drains, divert it into above or below-ground rainwater storage systems. Make sure that your gutters are clean and clear so that the water can flow freely.

When you’re working on managing your water use, contact Harry Helmet. Our Gutter Helmet gutter installation helps you ensure that water flows clean through your gutters and downspouts, preventing blockages that could make it harder to divert your water into landscaping or a rain barrel. If you’re looking for ways to make your gardening easier and save water at the same time, contact Harry Helmet today.
Written by Del Thebaud