Less Water, Beautiful Yard

From the June/July issue of Organic Gardening, comes an article on how to have a lush, lovely, and drought-tolerant landscape. Just follow the principles of xeriscaping and you'll be fine, the article promises. Sounds simple, and it is, providing you pay attention to the landscape of your yard and place plants accordingly.

I think this is an especially important issue given the place where we live, southeastern Idaho. We can ignore it most of the time, with the river running through downtown and the days and weeks of rain we have had lately. But let's face it. This is a desert, the northern edge of the high desert coming north from the great southwestern deserts of the United States. Water is precious here, and should be used sparingly, though you wouldn't know it from the unmetered residential water we have.

The article is an in-depth examination of these points:

1. Pay attention to site and soil.
2. Grow healthy plants in places they prefer with similar plants, being sure to choose ones that are right for your climate and soil.
3. Water only when necessary. Ideally, you wouldn't water at all, but that can't always be the case, especially when new plants are establishing themselves.
4. Mulch.

And when choosing plants for super-dry spots, look for:

• Fuzzy leaves,
• Gray leaves,
• Large, fleshy roots,
• Succulent leaves, or
• Waxy leaves.

If you want to know more, read the original article, The Water-Less Landscape.