As winter moves into spring, people are starting to plan out their gardens. If you’re at a loss for what to plant in your own backyard between the changing seasons and varied weather conditions, a water-wise garden might be the answer.
These gardens trap and retain water, reduce the amount of watering required, and slow and clean storm water runoff before it gets into the area’s watersheds.
“You’d plant a water-wise garden if you want plants that don’t require as much maintenance, that require a reduced level of water. You want something drought tolerant, but that will also tolerate the normal amount of rainfall we get in our area,” says Kirsten Conrad, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent for Arlington County and the City of Alexandria who specializes in agriculture and natural resources.
As Virginia’s natural climate conditions are a mix of rainy periods and periods without much rainfall, you’d be best to plant the type of greenery that grows naturally in Northern Virginia.
“Many of the native plants are ideally inserted into the water-wise garden category,” says Conrad. “They are drought tolerant perennials — things like cone flowers, echinacea, or yellow black-eyed Susans. Joe Pye weed is an interesting plant that will tolerate drought, but will also grow near water. Things like goldenrod, Russian sage, jay feather — and Mediterranean types of herbs for small gardens are really low maintenance. The ornamental grasses are a particularly good example of plants that do well in the drought, as well as the rain. Many day lilies are also very tolerant of drought conditions, although they are not native to this area.”
Conrad also recommends herb gardens for those who want a smaller garden that’s just as easy to maintain.
“Many herbs, like catmint, are very tolerant to Virginia’s soil and weather because they are accustomed to growing in conditions with very sharp drainage. Cacti are also good for Virginia’s soil, as are the native succulents.”
Sharp drainage refers to soil that is consistently moist, but also drains quickly. Maintaining a water-wise garden in these conditions is about as easy as getting native plants to grow in Virginia’s native soil.
“Beyond the usual types of maintenance — watering occasionally and weeding — it’s not very different from the way you’d maintain an ordinary garden,” says Conrad. “You’d have the chance to use less water though, because these are plants that don’t mind being dry. The only maintenance you need to do on the ornamental grasses is to cut them down once a year.”
“Look into the native plants — particularly those plants that are accustomed to growing in meadow-like conditions,” says Conrad. “Virginia is nothing if not variable in terms of its conditions. We can have eight weeks where we go without rain in the summer. Other times we have very rainy conditions. Water-wise plants like it all.”
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