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Rain barrels, purchased or home-built, collect rainwater for the garden from rerouted downspouts.
iStockphoto
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Native shrubs, such as American beautyberry, adapt better to extremes of wet and dry than no-native plants.
Photo by S. Cory Tanner
Rainfall seems to be either feast or famine in South Carolina. Some years we are blessed with an overabundance, but the next drought is almost certainly around the corner.
Fortunately, efficient gardeners can make use of numerous techniques for minimizing drought impacts and maximizing water use in their backyard gardens.
Plant natives. Native plants are often better adapted to our cycles of wet and dry than plants from faraway lands. As a general rule, a landscape composed of mostly natives, with a few exotics mixed in for interest, will stand up better to drought and need less supplemental water. The best choices for your landscape depend on your region and your garden conditions, including location, soil and sun exposure. American beautyberry, lady fern and swamp azalea are a few that do well in various parts of our state.
Divide your landscape into water-use zones. Gardeners often use the areas closest to their homes to make a big impact with colorful plantings of flowering annuals, bold foliage and lawns. These will usually be high-water-use zones. You can save water by minimizing water-guzzling plantings.
As the landscape moves farther away from the home, the water requirements should lessen to medium- and low-water-use zones. At the edges of your landscape, plants should be able to survive without any supplemental water, except in extreme drought situations. The new Carolina Yards plant database can help you select suitable plants for your landscape.
Conserve water with efficient irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation is notoriously inefficient. Much of the water sprayed into the air is lost to evaporation, and some of it lands where it’s not needed. Sprinklers should be limited to lawn areas, if possible, and run only as needed, not on a regular schedule. Hand watering for smaller plantings and drip irrigation systems for larger perennial and shrub beds are much more efficient, applying water only where it’s needed—at the root zone.
Add soil improvements and mulch. One of the benefits of adding organic matter to soil is that it improves water retention. In new flower beds, lightly till a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost or soil conditioner into the soil before planting. Tree and shrub plantings are usually best planted in unamended, native soil, but they will benefit from a good 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch after planting. Mulches conserve moisture by reducing evaporation from the soil. They also prevent weeds, which compete with plants for valuable moisture, and they break down into organic matter that enriches the soil beneath.
Capture rainwater. Rainwater is great for watering plants, plus it’s free! Collecting and storing rainwater is a centuries-old practice that is still used today. While you may not want to leap headfirst into an elaborate cistern system, rain barrels are a great way to start catching water from the next thunderstorm. Plenty of ready-made systems are available for purchase, but you can find building plans and workshops if you prefer to do it yourself.
To learn more about ways to create water-friendly landscapes, explore Clemson Extension’s Carolina Yards program. Carolina Yards offers education on conserving and protecting water resources through gardening, including an online course, demonstration sites, and an online plant database to help you select the best plants for your backyard. Using the techniques above, you can be well on your way to a certified Carolina Yard.
S. Cory Tanner is an area horticulture agent and Master Gardener coordinator for Clemson Extension based in Greenville County. E-mail him here.
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Get More
Need advice on installing an efficient watering system? View our article “Do-it-yourself drip irrigation,” from the November/December 2011 issue.
Learn more about landscaping with native plants and access the new plant database at the Carolina Yards website from Clemson Extension.