purplefibermom feels hung-over even though I didn't drink anything last night
Xeriscaping is a combination of 7 gardening principles that will save water, yet allow for a nice landscape. It was created in 1978 by the Denver water department. The info on their site was more specific to the west, so I did a little more searching for Georgia specific information – UGA came through with a great guide.
The 7 principles are:
1. Planning and Design – for water conservation and beauty from the start. Make a base map, catalog the site characteristics, incorporate shade into the design, plan for different use areas, establish water use zones, develop a master plan.
2. Soil Analysis and amendments – do physical and chemical analysis, then use amendments like compost or manure as needed by the site and the type of plants used
3. Appropriate Plant Selection – selecting plants that not only are compatible with the design but also are well suited to the planting site and local environment
4. Practical Turf Areas – in the typical landscape, turfgrass occupies the largest area and, when managed incorrectly, receives the largest amount of irrigation. You can realize considerable water savings by irrigating only the turf in high impact, highly visible areas of the landscape.
5. Efficient Irrigation – A water-wise landscape requires a minimal amount of supplemental water from irrigation. When irrigation is used, water is applied efficiently and effectively to make every drop count. Just as we zone plants in the landscape according to their different water needs, zone the irrigation system so that plants with different water needs are irrigated separately. Water turfgrass, for instance, separately from shrubs and flowers.
6. Use of Mulches – Mulches conserve moisture by preventing evaporative water loss from the soil surface and reducing the need for supplemental irrigation during periods of limited rainfall. By maintaining an even moisture supply in the soil, mulches prevent fluctuations in soil moisture that can damage roots.
7. Appropriate Maintenance – the objective of Xeriscape maintenance is to discourage water-demanding new growth on plants. In other words, keep plants healthy, but do not encourage growth at all times. Depending on your current level of maintenance, this may require you to fertilize less often with less fertilizer, to prune only when necessary and lightly when essential and, of course, to irrigate less. Remember, a Xeriscape-type landscape is a low-maintenance landscape. By working smarter, not harder, in the landscape, you’ll save time, energy and water without sacrificing the beauty of the environment
At the stage of crisis we are at now, we can’t use any water except gray water for watering. Hopefully, we will get into a better weather pattern and start to get rain again. We are going to use the next few months to review and plan how we can improve our landscape with water saving ideas from the guide. We weren’t big waterers to begin with (thus our dead front lawn). We already had some of the items above implemented.
