Native Plants

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Friday - February 05, 2010

From: Vancouver, BC
Region: Canada
Topic: Planting, Watering
Title: Grouping plants according to water needs
Answered by: Anne Bossart

QUESTION:

Explain how appropriate design/grouping of plants of the same water needs would make irrigation scheduling easier?

ANSWER:

Well, another broad, vague long answer question! The short answer is "gee, isn't it obvious that life would be simpler and the plants happier if you put all the plants that only need a little water together in one area of your garden and the others that need more in another place?"

Actually, that is the principle of xeriscaping. Most people think it is simply using drought tolerant plants and not watering them but it is actually planning a garden so that the higher water need plants go in an area where the gardener can provide the required water (usually close to a water source) and more drought tolerant plants in areas where water is provided only by nature. Of course xeriscaping means something different in Arizona than in Vancouver!