Save on Your Water Bill with Xeriscaping
Sunday, July 27th, 2008Xeriscaping is a landscaping term that is used to describe creating a landscape design that has low impact on the environment. Often used in areas that do not have available fresh water, xeriscaping is becoming more popular in places such as Birmingham Alabama as ways to conserve resources.
Xeriscaping Benefits Include:
- Lower water bills
- Less mowing
- Lower maintenance
- Plants tend to survive local environmental fluctuations better than non-native species
- Native habitat for native species of bees, birds, animals, and insects
- Great looking yard (increased curb appeal for those selling a home..)
- Jealous neighbors
Water restrictions have not been needed thus far this summer, but recall 2006 and 2007.
Both those summers were excessively dry and water restrictions were enforced throughout the Birmingham area. In fact, in 2006 after watching most of my garden succumb to the drought conditions, I vowed to create a garden that would require as little water (and maintenance for that matter) as possible. Enter xeriscaping.
After researching xeriscaping, I discovered that one principle of xeriscaping is to incorporate native plants into your landscaping. One reason is that local, native plants are used to the conditions, such as soil and weather, and often times require less water than non-native species. Also by planting native plants along with non-native species from similar climates, that share similar watering needs in zones, referred to as hydrozones, I could reduce water usage by grouping plants that need more water together and vice-versa.
Taking my new found knowledge with me to my local nursery, I inundated the owner with question after question regarding local flowers, shrubs, and trees. Once satisfied that I had the basics down, I created a plan for my new xeriscaped garden and returned a few weeks later to the nursery to get the ball rolling. I selected native plants and trees and planted them in their respective hydrozones.
From The Pros
One tip I learned at the nursery to create less dependency on water was to add more mulch to the landscaping beds. By increasing the depth of the mulch, the soil underneath remains cooler and retains more water than unprotected soil. A great benefit of increased depth of mulch is that less weeds tend to poke through, reducing the amount time spent weeding the beds each week. (Which of course for me is one of those, “I should have done this years ago!”, moments.) So I called EarthWorks and had a truck load of mulch delivered.
In 2007, when water restrictions returned, I was ready. Since the plantings were still relatively new, some of them struggled through the hottest days of July and August. But by creating the hydrozones, I was able to completely water my gardens and not use more water than allowed. Also, by using Tree Bags filled with captured rain water around the base of the trees, my newly planted trees continued to thrive while having zero impact on my water bill.
What Did I do?
- Planted native species of plants, shrubs, and trees
- Created Hydrozones of plants with similar watering needs
- Piled on the mulch
- Captured rain water to fill tree bags for watering my newly planted trees
Really, it is pretty simple stuff.
Now in 2008, I must admit that I am enjoying the benefits of my xeriscaped yard more than ever. In fact, this summer, I have not had to drag my sprinkler around the yard yet! In fact, my water bill is down over 20% from 2007 and 35% from 2006. What am I doing with my new found riches? I am saving up for roof-top solar panels, but that is another story.
