xeriscaping or waterless gardening

In practice, xeriscaping can reduce water consumption by 25 to 100%. Here’s how to go waterless for your crops.

Saving water in the garden: what is xeriscaping?

Le xéropaysagisme (xeros = “dry” in ancient Greek) is a type of development that aims to use water extremely efficiently. The concept was pioneered in desert regions or kibbutzim.

The practice is to arrange your garden in such a way that promote local species or species that consume little water to cultivate in a more natural way.

Choosing species to limit water consumption

Not all plants have the same thirst. A xeriscaping garden, with little or no water, is not necessarily a desert garden.

The choice of plants that tolerate low watering is vast and with a few tips, you will have a lush, colorful and very pleasant garden. In general, it is advisable to take plants native to the region where you are. The species alpinespecies of rocky escarpments or cliffs and species maritimes are also species that are not very thirsty.

• Very decorative, sometimes aromatic, the perennial plant are resistant to drought: sage, monarda, valerian, thyme, oregano, lemon balm, etc. or even cacti (sedums, agaves, hoyas, etc.)

• THE shrubs : buddleias, mugworts (absinthe for example), laburnum…

• THE trees : there are some favorable species (palm trees, conifers, mimosas, maple, willow)

Please note: this does not prevent you from gardening with local plants. The following list is therefore not to be applied literally, but remains indicative.

List of plants that are happy with reduced humidity

• aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica)
• Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
• Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)
• Dianthus
• Rough liatris (rough Liatris)
• aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius) (most aster species use little water)
• Autumn cherry tree (Prunus serotina)
• Aloe (Aloe vera)
• Lavender (Lavender angustifolia)
• Houseleek (A lifetime of roofs)
• Amelanchier (Amelanchier alnifolia)
• Calliandra erifolila (Calliandra eriophylla)
• Atriplex canescens (Atriplex canescens)
• Pale Echinacea (Echinacea pallida) (most Echinacea use little water)
• Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniper of the rocks)

Limit water consumption – optimize garden layout

The garden must be carefully designed to limit watering. Tier your garden to promote natural water flows.

Plant the most water-hungry plants in the high positionsin tight plants and if possible in places protected from wind and sun.

This way, the plants located lower down will benefit from their runoff water and the water poured higher up.

Place more water-hungry plants under trees, in the shade, or near buildings. Place drought-tolerant plants in sunnier areas.

Analyze Your Soils Before Trying Xeriscaping

Before growing crops in an ultra-low-water garden, you need to know the nature of your soils and determine the soil pH.

This analysis will allow you to choose the right soil amendment to make it more resistant to droughts.

And clay soil retains moisture well, but most plants cannot tolerate the lack of oxygen in heavy clay soil.

A sun sandy has very low water holding capacity and is generally poor in minerals.

These two types of soil can be amended before planting, for example by adding moss, compost, manure or peat.

The Mulch is an important, even essential, element to save water. Mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil by containing evaporation, but also reduces the growth of weeds, which also consume water.

A mulch and a compost help combat water evaporation, keep soil moist and prevent runoff.

The rockeries : they allow to accommodate drought and wind resistant plants by approaching a desert environment. Covering the ground with pebbles, stones has an effect similar to that of a mulch and can be an attractive way to promote a “desert” environment. Most rockery plants are accustomed to drought and winds. Stones and pebbles have an action similar to mulch.

THE flowers : choose baby’s breath, rudbeckias, asclepias, echinaceas, poppies, lady’s mantles, lychnis, irises, pyrethrums, euphorbias, lavenders, etc.

Xeriscaping was born about twenty years ago in the Southwestern states of the United States where the climate is particularly arid.

Irrigation to save water

There are 3 irrigation techniques that are suitable for xeriscaping:

• full coverage,
• the drip
• sprinkling.

These three techniques make it possible to considerably reduce irrigation water consumption, but require costly infrastructure, which necessarily limits their use in poor countries.

Don’t water just anyhow : Water early in the morning to reduce evaporation and sun-scorching of leaves. Water on calm, windless days to prevent the water from drying out too quickly. This water-saving tip will of course depend on the season and where you live.

Don’t water too quickly: watering slowly ensures that the water does not run off and is well absorbed by the soil.

How to maintain a xeriscape garden

Maintaining such a garden is both more delicate and easier than a traditional garden.

The xeriscape garden requires less weeding, trimming and watering, tedious tasks for the gardener. A good mulch or pebble covering eliminates the need to pull out weeds.

Less grass : the xeriscape garden is perfect for replace lawns and mowing, a polluting activity that increases evaporation, is less necessary. Water consumption doubles in summer, especially due to watering lawns and gardens.

Choosing a Low Maintenance Lawn Less water-intensive: A low-maintenance lawn is made up of a mixture of hardy, low-water-demanding, slow-growing, low-growing turf grasses and fescues, as well as broad-leaf, trampling-resistant species such as clover. These species do not need to be watered as often as conventional lawns.

Garden beds need to be maintained regularly and care must be taken to ensure that weeds do not start to grow.

• Less insecticides : In general, drought-tolerant plants are not as prone to disease and parasites and diseases than other species. This means fewer pesticides or fungicides. By choosing repellent plants such as pyrethrum or thyme and practicingassociation of culturesthere will be fewer pests.

Reduced water bill and dry crops

With xeriscaping methods, you water your garden much less between two rains. It will resist much better in the event of prolonged drought.

Use a rainwater collector

A rainwater collector is one of the best tools against water scarcity. You can install drainage pipes to the areas of the garden that need water the most.

This type of development is a guarantee of saving water and therefore time, which is accompanied by a reduced water bill!

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