Believe it or not we live in one of the wettest areas of North America. Thats right the Piedmont Plateau, the geological area at the foot hills of the mountains were Atlanta sits, receives almost as much rainwater as the rain forests of Alaska. Why do we have watering restrictions? Because, per capita, Atlantas consume more water than any other city or developed region in the country. As our population grows, we need to be more mindful of that consumption.
There are lots of ways you can conserve, or limit excessive water usage in your Midtown garden and still keep it fabulous.
Water Water Everywhere –
Your going to have to water your garden. There are right ways and wrong ways to do this. First, don’t water in the afternoon. The sun is high, as is the temperature. That means that much of the water hitting the surface will evaporate and not make it to the roots of your plants where it needs to go. Water in the early morning or better yet over night. Drip irrigation systems are preferable to sprinkler heads for the same reason, it places the water where it is needed around the roots as opposed to on the leaves where it will evaporate.
Turf Grass –
Americans have a love affair with their lawns. They do look great, but they are high maintenance, require regular overseeing and are water hogs. There are more drought tolerant grasses like Bermuda that will go dormant during a drought, but the more luxurious like Fescue need lots of water and attention. Limit the amount of turf grass in your yard to reduce water consumption.
Options –
Substitute a dense ground cover that requires less water and maintenance like mondo. It is drought tolerant, disease and bug resistant, spreads naturally and is evergreen. Did I mention you don’t have to mow it. You don’t have to mow it!. You can also reduce the area of Turf grass by adding hardscape like brick pavers, gravel, mulch or stone.
Trees & Shrubs –
A good way to conserve water in your garden is to plant more trees and shrubs. They have deeper root structures and once established this allows them to pull water from deeper in the soil allowing them to withstand dry conditions longer.
Georgia Native trees and shrubs will likely be more tolerant of dry summer heat in Midtown then imported ornamentals prevalent in nurseries. When choosing those keep an eye out for ones that are more tolerant of dry conditions.
Annuals –
Annuals are plants that have to be replaced each year because they do not survive the winter. Prized for their continuous flowering throughout the spring and summer they pose some problems. First, because they are young plants when you put them in they do not have an established root system and therefore are more susceptible to fluctuations in water conditions. They have to be watered everyday meaning they consume lots of water. Producing all those flowers expends a lot of energy so they also require lots of fertilizer.
Ornamental Grasses –
These plants are often surprisingly drought resistant and come in a wide variety of sizes shapes and colors. They can make striking focal points in your garden. Most provide year round interest and some provide seeds for birds.
Much ado about Mulch –
Nothing on the ground will mean you have to water more then you should. Always mulch! It will help to maintain the moisture in the top soil and prevent evaporation. This is important for several reasons. When the top layer of soil dries out the important microorganisms will also migrate out or go dormant. It will harden the top soil, and it will also increase the temperature of the soil. Mulch also helps to keep the soil cooler. This means the surface roots of your plants won’t get stressed with the summer heat. The other added benefit of mulch is that it shades the ground and reduces the number of weeds meaning lower maintenance for you. There are all kinds of mulch options for each taste and style from pine straw and pine bark, to wood chips (in brown, black and red), permeable rubber mulch and an assortment of gravels, river rocks and stone chips.
Sun vs. Shade –
While most plants are labeled partial sun or partial shade pay close attention to the conditions of various areas of your yard and the requirements of the plant. Plants labeled partial shade require less then six hours of direct sun light. While they will do ok in higher sun locations they will likely require more water to tolerate the added heat. Its 10 degrees cooler in the shade!
Shade plants will do best in areas with approximately 4 hours of direct sun or as underplanting where they received dappled sun throughout the day.
Full sun plants are just that requiring 8 hours of sun exposure to thrive. They will likely not grow as vigorously or produce significantly less flowers without this exposure.
Birds of a Feather –
Remember that plants are living things and they all have different needs some require a lot of water, while others require much less. When designing your garden organize your plants according to watering needs. Group the ones that require more water together and those that do not need a lot of water together in another location. This will allow you modulate the water application in the garden with localized additional water for those plants that need more of it.
Irrigation Systems-
Private on site wells, are not really a solution for water restrictions. They pull their water from the same aquifer as the municipal system. So if our reservoirs (and the aquifer) are low due to drought, pulling water from a well only worsens the condition within the watershed.
Cisterns and rainwater collection stores excess water for later use. This water would likely end up as stormwater runoff and go into the stormwater system. Maintaining it on site is less taxing to the municipal waterworks and provides you with watering options during times of drought and restrictions.
Rain Barrels come in all sizes and styles to fit your needs and interest. They are typically connected to a downspout in your gutter system. They store water until you are ready to use it and it is accessed through a faucet like the ones on your home. These should be installed properly with attention to not allowing mosquitoes access to the standing water in them.
Grey Water systems recycle water from home use typically from sinks, showers and washing machines. This water can be diverted from the sewer system and stored in on site cisterns for landscape use later on. This is an option for newer construction as it requires separation within the home, something that is not typically done.
Drought Tolerant Plants –
For a list of drought tolerant plants for Georgia check out this list by Water Smart, prepared by Gary L. Wade, Ph.D., Department of Horticulture, The University of Georgia, July, 2007.
