It’s been a drought-filled year, and there’s no indication that the droughts that have plagued the country are going to stop occurring anytime soon. Many cities are starting to wise up to the fact that their limited water supply needs to be more carefully this conserved. Among other things, this often means that residents need to stop watering their lawns so much — an activity that can often account for 33% of a home’s daily water usage. Across a single town this can add up to thousands of gallons of water in a single day.
Drought-resistant landscaping is gaining traction in many communities around the country that are looking for ways to keep greenery around, without doing further damage to their local watertables. Are you interested in drought-resistant garden landscaping? Once you start, you might wonder why you weren’t doing it from the very beginning. Here are three tips for a more drought-resistant yard.
1. Investing in Drought-Tolerant Plants
Many landscape designs are seeing a return to indigenous plants as a way to limit the amount of water needed. When plants are brought in from the tropics, for example, they require more water to stay healthy and green. Native plants, though, usually need little more than what nature naturally provides. The right plant will therefore depend on where you live, and you can consult with a landscaping expert to find out amenable species. Certain plants like cacti, sunset strain, cape blanco and lavandula multifida thrive with little care and in a wide range of climate zones.
2. Use Alternative Materials
Although grass might be a choice many Americans resist giving up, you don’t need grass to have a great lawn. You can also consider using grass for just part of your lawn. Many homeowners are now looking at alternatives like colored mulch, decorative sand, bark, and landscaping rocks instead. Instead of a flat plane of grass, you can instead have a variety of textures, shapes and colors.
3. Use Turf Grasses
Not ready to say goodbye to grass completely? One option is turf grass blends. Grass plants like the fine fescue and the Kentucky bluegrass have deeper root systems, which makes them less reliant on daily watering than other, more finicky varieties.
Do you have drought-resistant garden landscaping tips? Let us know in the comments. Find more.