Wednesday, July 27, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
17
take seven steps to ‘waterwise’ gardening
By Kym Pokorny
Oregon State University Extension Service
CORVALLIS — Though
the first half of July was
determinedly unlike summer,
saving water is a keystone
to responsible gardening no
matter the weather.
“We have a role to play
in preserving our natural
resources,” said Amy Jo
Detweiler, a horticulturist
with Oregon State University
Extension Service. “A water-
wise garden is one of the
ways to do that regardless of
the amount of rainfall where
you live.”
For instance, in the high
desert around Bend where
she lives, rainfall during
the growing season from
May through September is
only 5-7 inches. Except for
natives, most plants won’t
survive without supplemen-
tal water. On the Willamette
Valley floor, rainfall aver-
ages 5 inches June through
September. In both areas,
planning for a low-water gar-
den makes sense, she said.
In her publication “An
Introduction to Xeriscaping in
the High Desert,” Detweiler
lays out seven clear steps
to developing a waterwise
garden.
“The most important thing
you have to consider is to
give all these steps thoughtful
consideration,” she said. “It’s
not good enough to do a little
here and there. Go through
the steps from planning to
plant selection and bring
them into the landscape.”
Amy Deitweilers’ seven
steps to a waterwise garden:
1. Planning and design:
Before starting or changing
your garden, watch the sun
and shade exposure through-
out the day, check soil drain-
age in various parts of the
yard and determine if there
are soggy or especially dry
areas. In soggy areas, plan
for a possible rain garden or
bioswale.
Use rain barrels or under-
ground cisterns to capture
whatever rainfall your cli-
mate provides to use in the
garden during dry times.
OSU Extension’s publication
“Harvesting Rainwater for
Use in the Garden” can help
with that.
Don’t leave hardscape
out of the equation. Reduce
wasted runoff water by using
permeable materials, leaving
space between flagstone in
pathways or patios and reduc-
ing areas with hard surfaces.
We have a role to
play in preserving our
natural resources.
— amy Jo detweiler
Go through books and
magazines and visit gardens
to get an idea of what type
of garden you’d like and be
realistic about how much
time and effort you want to
put into a garden. Consider
all of those elements when
designing.
2. Irrigation: Decide
if you want or can afford
an automatic system or will
manually move hose-end
sprinklers. Either way can
be efficient, but must be
used appropriately. Know
your plants’ needs and don’t
deliver too much or too little
water; irrigate deeply and
infrequently to encourage
deep roots (see “soil” below).
If you’re watering manually,
setting a timer can help you
remember when to change the
sprinkler or turn it off.
If you use an automatic
system, be sure to set the
timer so that you use less
water in spring and fall.
Don’t “set it and forget it,”
Detweiler emphasized. Look
for new smart controllers that
use weather and other detailed
information to deliver exactly
the amount of water needed
down to the day, time and
amount. They can save up to
30 percent of water.
3. Soil: Create well-
draining soil that provides a
good environment for plants
to get established. Whether
your soil is sandy or contains
mostly clay, adding organic
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automatic sprinklers like micro-sprays can save water if used appropriately, but many homeowners set them
incorrectly.
matter will help improve aera-
tion and water-holding capac-
ity. For sandy soil, that will
help keep water from drain-
ing through immediately. For
clay soil, improving the soil
will help water to drain bet-
ter and keep plant roots from
rotting. Water should move
through the soil easily enough
so that plant roots grow
deeply and are able to access
moisture during dry times
without a lot of supplemental
irrigation. Water deeply and
infrequently to encourage
deep roots. More information
is available from the publica-
tion “Improving Garden Soils
with Organic Matter.”
4. Lawn: Plant only
the amount of lawn for your
needs – a place for children
or dogs to play or a small
area to set off garden beds.
“Traditionally, yards are 90
percent lawn,” Detweiler
said. “Try cutting it down to
60 percent or 40 percent and
leave more space for trees,
shrubs and perennials.” Use
the most drought-tolerant
grass and, if possible, change
to lawn alternatives such as
eco-lawns or ground covers
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It will help keep the soil
cool during hot weather and
reduce evaporation, leaving
more water in the soil for
plant use. Mulch also helps
keep weeds down and aids
in erosion control. Whether
you use organic mulch (wood
chips, bark dust, etc.) or
inorganic (gravel or small
rocks) doesn’t make a differ-
ence, Detweiler said. All of
them help keep moisture in,
so it’s a matter of personal
preference.
7. Maintain: Keep your
garden properly weeded,
pruned, mowed, watered
and fertilized and plants will
be healthier and more suited
to fend off insects and dis-
eases. Monitor your garden
often and address problems
quickly with least-toxic meth-
ods. Healthy plants need less
water.
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5. P l a n t s e l e c t i o n :
When choosing plants, go
beyond aesthetics to look at
their mature size, sun and
water requirements. Plant
them in areas matched to
their needs. Although auto-
matic irrigation systems can
be adjusted to water differ-
ent plants in a bed at differ-
ent rates, it’s easier and more
efficient to plant in “zones”
that keep high-, medium- and
low-water plants together.
Native plants can be the basis
of a waterwise garden, but
there are plenty of other low-
water plants to choose from,
Detweiler said. To determine
good choices, check plant
labels, ask nursery personnel
and use references.
6. Mulch: Top dress
soil with 2-4 inches of mulch.
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