Do the Green Thing
Down and Dirty
On Thursday April 17, NCJ will take a look at all things green in Humboldt County. This practical and informative special issue will explore earth friendly topics like the environment, energy and keeping your home green.
Ornamental grasses tough it out beautifully during dry spells. Photo by Genevieve Schmidt
Using Less Water in the Landscape By Genevieve Schmidt downanddirty@northcoastjournal.com
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442-1400 20 North Coast Journal • Thursday, March 20, 2014 • northcoastjournal.com
hough our recent rains have alleviated some concerns, our brush with drought this winter has many gardeners rethinking water use in the landscape, and rightly so. There are many areas where we waste water or use it frivolously when a minor change could make a big difference. However, cutting off the water to your existing landscape isn’t the best solution. Instead, consider these subtler tips for reducing water use without reducing your quality of life. Plant more woody shrubs and trees. When was the last time you saw a large tree drooping from lack of water? Yes, I’ll wait while you think about the answer. It’s pretty rare, right? Woody shrubs are similarly tough. With the exception of hydrangeas (hydra = water), most plants with woody stems that get more than 3 feet tall tend to have sturdy enough root systems to withstand periods of drought. They can reach deeper into the ground to pull up existing water stores, and have often developed advantages such as waxy leaves, which lose less moisture. In contrast, think about the squishy little annual and perennial flowers that flop in dismay at the first sign of stress. If you’re preserving water, it’s clear what type of plant you should choose.
Heathers, grasses and woody groundcovers will also do. Of course, all this talk about woody shrubs and trees may have you grumbling that you can’t make a landscape out of only the tall stuff. True enough. Luckily, heathers come in a variety of flower and foliage colors and even have different textures, so they’re fun to play around with in the foreground of your plantings. As a rule of thumb, dwarf ornamental grasses are also drought tolerant, and varieties such as switchgrass (Panicum), Oriental fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale) and moor grass (Molinia caerula) break up a static garden bed by providing softly waving movement. Woody groundcovers, especially natives such as Ceanothus or Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), are also wise choices that both hold down weeds and look nice. Use the hose more mindfully. Are you a hand-waterer? Though hand watering gives you an opportunity to get to know each of your individual plants and provide only what each one needs, the more likely scenario is that you are giving everything in the landscape a good sprinkle — weeds, the pathway, the patch of lawn between this bed and that. If you do enjoy the relaxing process of hand watering, make sure you have a push-button sprayer or an easy shut-off tab so you can take