Introduction to Drought-Tolerant Gardening
With climate change leading to hotter, drier summers, more and more gardeners are looking to create landscapes that can thrive without supplemental water. Drought-tolerant gardening, also called xeriscaping, focuses on selecting plants that need little watering once established. The goal is to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation while still enjoying a visually appealing garden.
The benefits of drought-tolerant gardening include:
- Saving money on your water bill by reducing outdoor water use
- Conserving precious water resources, especially in arid climates
- Lower maintenance as you don't have to water as frequently
- Plants that are adapted to drought are also hardy and low-maintenance
- Creates habitat for local wildlife like birds, butterflies and pollinators
- Can still have color, texture and beauty without thirsty exotics
With some planning and strategic plant choices, you can craft a stylish, sustainable landscape that thrives in your local climate and soil conditions with minimal watering required. This guide will walk you through the key steps to take your garden from thirsty to drought-tolerant.
Assess Your Garden's Conditions
The first step in creating a drought-tolerant garden is to assess the conditions of your garden space. This will help you select plants that are suitable for the environment. Here are three key factors to evaluate:
Amount of Sun
- Full sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight per day. Drought-tolerant plants that thrive in full sun include sedums, sages, thyme, yarrow, and many succulents.
- Partial sun: 4-6 hours of sun. Plants like lavender, coneflower, coreopsis, and verbena can tolerate partial sunlight.
- Shade: Less than 4 hours of sun. Great shade-loving drought-resistant plants are ferns, begonias, coral bells, and astilbe.
Take note of how much sunlight your garden gets at different times of day. Observe over a week or two to get an accurate assessment.
Soil Type
- Sandy soil drains quickly and doesn't retain moisture. It can be improved by adding compost. Plants like sedums, blue fescue grasses, and blanket flower grow well in sandy soil.
- Clay soil is dense and drains poorly. Amend it with compost or other organic material to improve drainage. Yarrow, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and Russian sage are good choices for clay.
- Loam is a balanced blend of sand, silt, and clay. It's ideal for most drought-tolerant plants. Gaillardia, coreopsis, lavender, succulents, and sages thrive in loamy soil.
Do a soil composition test or simple ribbon test to determine your garden's soil makeup.
Drainage
Check if your site has:
- Excellent drainage. Gravity moves water through fast-draining soil or sloped areas. Junipers, sedums, thymes do well.
- Good drainage. Water flows through the soil at a moderate rate. Plants like lavender, blanket flower, daylily, coneflower work well.
- Poor drainage. Water collects in low spots. Improve drainage before planting. Consider a rain garden design.
Observe your landscape after heavy rains. Make note of any puddling or soggy patches.
Assessing these conditions will give you important information to select the right drought-tolerant plants.
Choose Drought-Resistant Plants
When selecting plants for a drought-tolerant garden, focus on varieties that need less water. Some options to consider:
Succulents
Succulents are ideal for low water gardens. Their thick, fleshy leaves and stems store water. Popular choices like sedum, aloe, echeveria, and sempervivum thrive in hot, dry conditions. Go for varieties like Burro's Tail, Hens and Chicks, and Dragon's Blood. Plant in a sunny spot with well-draining soil.
Sedums
Sedums are fleshy-leaved succulents that are extremely drought tolerant. They come in a wide range of heights, shapes, and colors. Sedum spurium and Sedum album are low, spreading groundcovers. Taller varieties like Autumn Joy and Bertram Anderson stand upright. Their blooms attract pollinators.
Ornamental Grasses
Many ornamental grasses are quite drought resistant. Try feather reed grass, Mexican feather grass, purple fountain grass, muhly grass, and blue fescue. Their slender leaves lose less moisture than broad leaves. Grasses add texture and movement to the garden. Cut back clumps in winter.
Focus on these and other plants adapted to hot, dry conditions. Avoid thirsty exotics like hydrangeas and impatiens. Select the right plants and your garden can thrive with little water.
Plant in the Right Spots
When planning where to plant your drought-tolerant plants, group plants with similar needs together. This makes watering and maintenance much easier.
For example, group plants that require more moisture in one area of the garden, and those that need less water in the driest spots. Plants that like full sun should be separated from those that prefer shade.
Some general guidelines on plant placement:
- Put drought-loving succulents and cacti in the sunniest, hottest locations.
- Plant native and Mediterranean herbs like lavender, rosemary, thyme, and sage on hot, dry slopes and banks.
- Position plants with grey or fuzzy leaves in exposed areas. The leaf hairs help reflect sunlight and conserve moisture.
- Shade-loving ferns, Hostas, Astilbe, and Heuchera grow best on the east side of the garden or under trees.
- Plant taller plants on the north side of the garden so they don’t block sun from shorter plants.
Take time to map out zones for different light, soil, and watering needs. This will make maintaining your drought-tolerant garden much simpler. The plants will thrive when their preferences are met.
Use Mulch
Mulch is an essential component of any drought-resistant garden. Organic mulch helps retain moisture in the soil so you don't have to water as frequently. It also keeps the soil cooler and protects plant roots.
There are several types of organic mulch you can use:
- Wood chips or shreds - These come from trees and woody brush. Cedar and cypress mulches resist decay for a longer time.
- Leaf mulch - Use leaves you collect in the fall. They'll break down over time to improve soil texture.
- Grass clippings - Let them dry out first so they don't mat. Sprinkle lightly around plants.
- Straw - Straw makes great mulch for vegetable gardens. Be sure to use weed-free straw.
- Compost - Compost retains moisture and replenishes nutrients as it breaks down.
- Pine needles - Collected needles from pine trees make long-lasting mulch.
A 2-4 inch layer of mulch is ideal for most gardens. If using finer mulch like grass clippings, aim for 2 inches. Bulkier mulches can go up to 4 inches. Too much can prevent water and air from reaching plant roots.
Reapply mulch annually, or whenever bare spots appear. Topping off existing mulch is easier than removing and replacing the whole layer.
Proper mulching techniques will make a significant difference in how well your plants thrive in dry conditions. Be generous with mulch in your drought-resistant garden.
Water Wisely
Watering your plants is crucial, but you can do it in a way that conserves water. The key is to water deeply, but infrequently. This encourages roots to grow deeper into the soil, making plants more drought resistant.
- Water in the early morning before the sun gets hot. This allows more water to soak into the soil rather than evaporate.
- Install drip irrigation or soaker hoses. These systems deliver water directly to plant roots, minimizing waste. Avoid sprinklers that spray water everywhere.
- Water deeply, not frequently. Water long enough for moisture to penetrate at least 6-8 inches into the soil. Then let the soil dry before watering again.
- Add mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and retain moisture in soil longer.
- Check soil moisture before watering. Use your finger or a moisture probe to test the soil depth. Only water when the top several inches become dry.
- Adjust watering based on weather and your plants' needs. New plantings need more frequent watering until established. Reduce watering in cool or rainy weather.
Maintain Your Garden
A drought-resistant garden requires some regular maintenance to stay healthy and thrive. Here are some key tasks:
Weeding
Weeds compete with other plants for water, so keeping them under control is important. Check for weeds at least once a week and pull them out by hand or hoe them while they are still small. Avoid using chemical weed killers, as these can harm beneficial insects. Go after the roots to prevent regrowth.
Some common weeds to look out for include crabgrass, dandelions, bindweed, thistle, chickweed, and purslane. Stay vigilant after rains, as weeds grow quickly with added moisture. Consider adding mulch around plants to suppress weeds.
Pruning
Prune plants like lavender, rosemary, sage, and other woody perennials in early spring. This removes dead growth from winter and shapes the plants, encouraging new healthy growth. Pruning in summer could stimulate tender new shoots that may not withstand drought.
Remove any diseased or damaged stems/branches. Make cuts just above leaf nodes or buds. Prune judiciously, as radical pruning stresses plants. Avoid shearing hedges, as this causes plants to thicken and require more water. Hand prune or thin as needed.
Fertilizing
Use organic slow-release fertilizers sparingly, if at all. Excess fertilizer can damage native plants and cause rapid growth needing extra water. Focus more on building healthy soil with compost or manure before planting. Top dress with compost yearly rather than using chemical fertilizers.
Be Patient
It takes some time for new plants to get established in your garden. Don't get discouraged if your plants look a little sad at first. Most plants will take a full season or two to really thrive.
Perennials, shrubs and trees will likely take a couple of seasons to fill in and reach their mature size. Annuals may look sparse for the first few weeks until they have time to germinate and grow.
Be patient and keep caring for your plants while they get their roots down. Make sure you continue watering any new plantings for the first year while they establish. Avoid over-fertilizing, which can damage young roots.
With time, you'll be rewarded with a beautiful, thriving drought-resistant garden. The wait is worth it when you have hearty plants and little maintenance required. A mature landscape can better withstand periods of heat and drought.
So hold off on judging your landscape right away. A garden is a continual work in progress. Trust that with consistent care over several seasons, your drought-tolerant plants will flourish.
Deal with Pests
Even the most drought-resistant garden can suffer from common garden pests. Bugs, diseases, animals, and weeds can threaten your plants despite the lack of water. However, there are organic methods to prevent and control pests without the use of toxic chemicals.
Common Pests
Some of the most frequent pests in drought-tolerant gardens include:
- Aphids - These tiny sap-sucking insects can swarm plants, especially succulents. They leave behind sticky honeydew and can spread diseases.
- Mealybugs - These small soft-bodied pests look like tiny cotton balls on stems and leaves. They suck plant juices and leave sticky residue.
- Snails and Slugs - These slimy mollusks chew holes in foliage and can decimate seedlings.
- Powdery Mildew - This fungal disease coats plants with white powdery spores. It thrives in dry, hot conditions.
- Weeds - Unwanted plants compete with other vegetation for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water.
Organic Controls
There are several organic, non-toxic ways to control pests in your drought-tolerant garden:
- Encourage natural predators like birds, ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps.
- Use organic insecticidal soaps or horticultural oils to suffocate soft-bodied insects.
- Apply neem oil as an insect repellent and antifungal treatment.
- Hand-pick pests off plants and drop them into soapy water.
- Use sharp barriers like crushed eggshells or diatomaceous earth to deter crawling pests.
- Apply organic herbicides to weeds or use a weed torch for rapid results.
With some diligence, you can keep your drought-resistant garden pest-free and healthy using earth-friendly techniques. A thriving, water-wise garden will reward your stewardship.
Enjoy Your Garden
After putting in the effort to plan and plant your drought-tolerant garden, it's time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Drought-tolerant gardens require less maintenance than traditional gardens once established, leaving you more time to unwind in your oasis of beauty.
Take moments to sit back and observe the wildlife your native plants attract, like birds, butterflies, and bees. Notice how your garden changes through the seasons, with some plants going dormant while others burst into bloom. Appreciate the textures, shapes, and colors of the foliage and flowers.
When you need a break from gardening tasks, grab a book or beverage and find a cozy spot amidst your garden. The calming ambience will rejuvenate your spirit. Share the space with friends and family to create special memories.
Drought-tolerant gardens offer endless satisfaction. Not only are they environmentally sustainable, but they reward you with natural beauty while requiring less effort than thirsty exotic plants. Your garden is a testament to your wise plant choices and gardening practices. Be proud of this vibrant, low-maintenance oasis you've created.
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