Zeriscapingby Karen Bert Western Washington is almost synonymous with water; we are surrounded by ocean, lakes, streams and rivers. Our winters are characterized by a soft drizzly downpour and gray damp mists. It can be hard to counteract that vision with our dry summers, when a month or two can go by with no precipitation. Yes, we in the great wet northwest have to consider water saving techniques for our gardens. In this era of environmental correctness, it is rare to see a lush green lawn in August, and rightly so. Lawns guzzle an amazing amount of water, and its a good idea to let them go dormant in the driest parts of the summer. The time you don't spend mowing is an added bonus! Zeriscaping is a trendy term for planting with low water usage in mind. In the southwest, gardeners are encouraged to forego lawns altogether and landscape with native plants and cactus. Closer to home, we can consider alternatives to traditional lawns, such as groundcovers and seed mixtures containing buffalo grass. Using native plants in the landscape is another way to zeriscape. Native plants are already adapted to our climate and usually pull through the dry season with no problems. When it comes to watering the rest of the garden, several tips can save you gallons. Remember that overhead watering, or sprinkling, is the most wasteful way to give your plants a drink. Soaker hoses, which lay on the ground at root level and allow a trickle of water to penetrate the soil, are easy to install and inexpensive. Watering in the early morning or late evening also aids plants in using every drop. The only exception to this is roses; only water in the morning so that the leaves have time to dry. This helps prevent fungal diseases such as blackspot. Make sure to water plants thoroughly - a light sprinkle that doesn't soak past the surface of the soil does more harm than good. Water more completely and and you will have to water less often. Hanging baskets and pots dry out fast and need frequent attention. One potentially helpful aid is a product made from silica and marketed under various names. These crystals mix with the soil and absorbs lots of water, thus enabling the plants to stay hydrated longer between watering. I haven't tried it but I hear it works great. Soil preparation is another key factor in how much water your garden drinks. A garden planted in healthy soil full of absorbent organic matter will require less water than its counterpart planted in poor soil. Healthy plants will survive a dry period with less setback than weak, damaged ones. It only makes sense! As gardeners, we should be concerned about the quality of our water and our part in keeping our watershed healthy. Remember that anything you spray on, spread on or shake on will very likely end up in our water. Please be careful with fertilizers and garden chemicals, even organic ones. Do some investigation and find out where runoff from your garden goes - a wetland, river or stream, or down into the sewer. Even simple changes can have big results. A few years ago in Maine I worked with area farmers to try and persuade them to spread their manure in the spring rather than in the fall. Why? The soil in Maine would freeze during the winter and the fields would be covered in snow and ice. When spring came, the snow would melt and the runoff would carry most of the manure away, straight into rivers and estuaries. Even though manure is "organic", all that nitrogen put a mighty strain on the marine ecosystem. A change as simple as this had a major impact on water quality in that region. Perhaps after studying your particular garden spot you can discover little changes that can add up to big ways of preserving and protecting our water supply. Karen Bert is a staff writer for the Green Pages.
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