Home Improvement | Interior Design | Gardening Trends

Peony in the landscape should be low water? That’s blasphemy! No it’s not. You may be water wise and still enjoy the plants that need water regularly. It’s all about how you design and manage landscapes.

To get tips on what makes a good water efficient landscaping, come Saturday, June 3 from 9-11am, to “Putting Together Landscape Water Wise”. This free program will be presented by the UA Cado Daily Water Wise program and will be held at Arizona Folklore Preserve in Ramsey Canyon road 3.5 miles off Hwy 92 in Sierra Vista.

Presentations will cover the seven basic principles of Xeriscape (pronounced Zir-i-stem). Cado like to show that there isn’ta “zero” in Xeriscape. Despite this low water landscape design to promote water-efficient plants, it also allows for high water plants if desired.

One of the basic foundation for Xeriscape is a good plan and have a good design. At this year when the weather is hot and dry, rather than planting a garden plan is a good activity. To start, get the paper and go sit in the shade overlooking your yard.

There are some things you want to do before you begin your design. The first is to assess your site. If you can live with your pages for a year before making a big landscape, this will help you learn more about how it affects climate. Where wet places? Which is windy? Hot? What microclimates? Try and learn as much as possible about your site before you design and plant.

Next, create a “wish list”. What features do you want? Have anything you want to hide? How the children or grandchildren use the page? Would you like to entertain and cook outside? How about a place to sit and watch the stars while in a chiminea fire? Ask yourself and your family as many questions you can think of to help you decide what is needed in your landscape design.

When you know how you will use your pages, you can identify what areas you want to use, and what areas to go to the wildlife to enjoy. Managing a large yard can take some time and money. Try and measure your yard into functional areas or “hydrozones”.

Functional region directly around your home called “mini-oasis”. The use of higher water “hydrozone” is where you will have the peonies and other plants that may require regular maintenance and water. With a relatively fertile areas, it will help shade and cool your home. Use rainwater from the roof to help water plants. If you make it to a page with a small wall, will be a space that is easy to manage and the wall will make a hungry creature from damaging your plants. This is also the area where gray water can be used for regular water shade tree.

Outside the “mini-oasis” is a “transition zone”. Crop water use is lower hydrozone will require additional water every 2-3 weeks at least. Here you will enter the water harvesting techniques to help capture some extra rain around the tree is more adapted to the desert and scrub. An irrigation system can be installed in this area, but will be different valves of the irrigation for the mini-oasis zone. You do not want to over water plants in the transition zone while watering a mini-oasis.

Out in the “desert zone”, you will grow agaves, cacti, yuccas and other succulents. These plants need to survive on their own. Choosing local plants and plants adapted to grow in semi-dry is your best environment for investment in this zone. If you are building a house, ask the contractor to clear a space as small as possible so that the excessive vegetation undisturbed. Capturing rain dips around the drip line of plants will also be built here.

Designing a water wise landscape itself can be fun and satisfying. By combining a few simple techniques, you can have a page that the greatest demand is to enjoy it.

For more information about water conservation and to access the Water Wise Hot-Line, call 364-4146. Water Wise Literature is also available at city libraries and on the website www.ag.arizona.edu / Cochise / waterwise. Douglas Water Wise program is conducted in partnership with Cochise County.

University of Arizona is equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, in programs and activities.

By Cado Daily / Water Wise Program Coordinator, UA Cochise County Cooperative Extension