Class: Waterwise Landscaping
You’d think we live in an arid climate with my water fixation. Oh wait, we do. Doesn’t it feel like this year we’ve gone from hills of snow piled all over our yards to dry, dry, dry? My irrigation class helped me figure out how I needed to revise and add to our watering system, but I fear that my love of digging reached its limit once temperatures hit 90 F. For this season I’m delaying the irrigation overhaul, continuing to rely on manual supplemental water for the edibles, and concentrating on the low-water plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees we ogled in Waterwise Landscaping class.
Thank goodness the slideshow of plants and trees offered a spectrum of enticing options. Our instructor, Clifton, began the class with irrigation options to maximize water efficiency. However, in a landscaping class, we all know that the garden and plant photos are the big draw — and Clifton had lots of plant and tree photos from all seasons. This is the kind of research and discovery that keeps you from being lured into inappropriate plant choices. Trust me, I’ve made lots of those.
Here are some of my favorite water-wise options:
- smoke tree/bush, both purple and chartreuse versions
- ginkgo tree
- sedum
- ornamental grasses
- low-grow sumac
- fothergilla
- and more sedum!
And here’s what’s currently surviving in our yard with no automatic irrigation (more sedum, of course).
I’ve pinned and uploaded a few more of my favorite water-wise plants and trees to Pinterest. (See photos on the Brainfueling Waterwise Landscaping board here.)
To my fellow high-desert dwellers, give a shout out for your favorite plants and low-water techniques by leaving a comment. Your next glass of water’s on me.