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Low On Water? Try Xeriscaping Flower Gardening

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Xeriscaping is low water gardening. It is popular in areas of the country that have restrictions on how much water they can use. Recently, xeriscaping is becoming more and more popular in other parts of the country, because this type of gardening requires much less work and water. If this is something you are interested in, below is some information to help you get started.

Design Garden

Before you get started, you need to sit down and design your garden. You need to group drought-tolerant plants in areas of your yard that is exposed to sun all day, and plant your less tolerant plants where they can get some shade during the day. Make sure the area is large enough for the amount of flowers you want to plant. It can be helpful to draft it out on paper first. Organize flowers that have the same water requirements together to make watering them much easier.

Choose Appropriate Flowers

Choose native flowers, and flowers that have low water demands. If you visit a garden center, they will likely mostly sell flowers that grow well in your area. Some drought-tolerant plants include:

  • Butterfly Weed
  • California Poppy
  • Yarrow
  • Alyssum
  • Cosmos
  • Coreopsis
  • Daylily
  • Coneflower
  • Black-eyed Susan
  • Cranesbill Geranium
  • Hosta
  • Iris

If you need help, the garden center employees can help you choose flowers that are drought-tolerant.

Improve Soil

The soil has a lot to do with the health of your flowers, especially flowers that are drought-tolerant. You need to make sure the garden has a lot of organic matter, as it will improve water retention and penetration no matter the type of soil you have. To add organic matter to your soil, purchase some compost at a garden center. This not only aerates your soil, but adds nutrients to it. How much you add depends on how large the area is. Tell the garden center employee the size of your garden, and they should be able to tell you the right amount.

Add Mulch

Mulch not only adds an aesthetic appeal to your garden, but it also benefits your flowers. This is because mulch holds in water after it rains. It also helps moderate the temperature, and suppresses weeds. Apply a few inches of mulch in your flower bed, pushing it away from the base of your flowers, as you do not want to suffocate them. You can purchase mulch at any garden center.

Provide Water

If you followed the above steps, you have flowers planted together that have the same water needs. A sprinkler system is a good way to water your plants. There are different types of sprinkler systems you can choose.

Drip irrigation systems works very well, and lets you control when and how much water to offer to your flowers. Soaker hoses is another option you have. Water drips out of the entire length of the hose. You can lay the hose next to the plants, and water them for however long you want. If you have a large flower garden, you can attach more than one soaker hose together, and snake them around your plants.

You can also choose the traditional automatic spray sprinkler system. These are spray heads that pop up, and they can be adjusted to spray a quarter circle, half circle, or a full circle. Click here for more information on sprinkler system installation.

Plant perennial flowers to make xeriscape gardening even easier for you. This is because perennial flowers keep coming back year after year, so you only have to plant them one time.


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