Conserve Water and Create a Sustainable Garden Using Drought-Tolerant Plants and Rainwater Harvesting

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Other than soil health, access to water in your garden is a crucial ingredient in growing food successfully, and with changing weather patterns and increased frequency of droughts due to climate change posing significant challenges to water resources, water conservation becomes even more critical in regions prone to drought to ensure the availability of water during dry periods.

According to the United Nations, about 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, and around 4.2 billion people experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year, and agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater globally, accounting for around 70% of total water usage. Plus, energy is required to extract, treat, and distribute water, while water is necessary for energy production, such as cooling thermoelectric power plants. The water-energy nexus refers to this interdependence of water and energy resources. Conserving water can help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

What is water conservation in the garden?

There are many ways you can collect rainwater and conserve water in the garden. You can adopt water-wise landscaping techniques, such as sustainable landscape design, collecting and using rainwater for non-potable purposes, drip irrigation, ollas and xeriscaping - the practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation by incorporating drought tolerant plants.

What are the benefits of including drought-tolerant plants and rainwater harvesting systems in your garden design?

By utilizing plants that don’t require heavy watering and can survive drying out a bit, you can reduce runoff (precipitation that does not soak into the soil but instead moves on the surface and is lost to evaporation), conserve water, save money on water bills, reduce maintenance, and support a healthy ecosystem. This is a great passive way to increase the sustainability of your garden with little effort - all it takes is a bit of planning. Use the list of drought tolerant plants below to start planning.

How do rainwater barrels work?

A rainwater harvesting system utilizing barrels most commonly works by capturing rain coming down your gutters off of your roof. The water can then be accessed through a spigot or hose connected directly to the barrel. You can scale this concept up with an actual collection tank, and even hook it into your home’s greywater system.

What is the best rainwater harvesting barrel?

We have this 50 Gallon Capacity Flat Back Rain Barrel. It allows us to utilize natural resources and is linkable to other barrels for increased capacity using separately sold linking kit. This rain barrel collection system is resistant to rust, mold, mildew, and rotting and has a high quality brass spigot for hose hook-up, plus an included overflow spout helps drain excess water away. There is a screen to keep out debris, insects, animals, and children. It is made off BPA-free, FDA approved resin in the USA and it is 22" L x 23" W x 30" H. It is sturdy and built to last.

What are some other ways to conserve water in the garden?

The concept of using ollas as an irrigation system goes back thousands of years and has been used in countless cultures around the world. An olla watering system is basically any type of unglazed clay pot that is buried beneath the soil with only a small amount sticking up above the surface and filled with water. You can tell that a pot is unglazed because it will be that classic terracotta red color with no shiny finish, glaze or paint. The water then leeches out of tiny holes or “pores” in the unglazed clay and is pulled through the soil to the roots of your thirsty plants using a process called soil moisture tension. This functions much the same way as osmosis, in that the water is trying to equalize to a certain level of moisture within the soil. This means your soil will never become overwatered either - if the soil is moist, the water stays in the pot until it is needed. Click here for full instructions on how to make your own.

DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS

Thyme

Appearance: Small, fragrant leaves on low-growing, spreading stems.

Size: Typically 4 to 8 inches tall and spreading up to 12 inches.

Uses: Culinary herb, medicinal properties, ground cover.

Olive Tree

Appearance: Evergreen tree with gray-green foliage and small, white flowers.

Size: Can reach up to 30 feet tall, but some cultivars are smaller.

Uses: Edible olives and oil, ornamental tree.

Fern-leaf Yarrow

Appearance: Feathery, fern-like leaves and clusters of yellow flowers.

Size: Typically 2 to 4 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, cut flowers, attracts beneficial insects.

Hummingbird Mint

Appearance: Aromatic foliage with spikes of tubular flowers in various colors.

Size: Varies by species, typically 2 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, attracts pollinators, herbal tea.

Zinnia

Appearance: Showy, daisy-like flowers in a wide range of colors and sizes.

Size: Varies by cultivar, but generally 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, cut flowers, attracts butterflies.

Aloe vera

Appearance: Rosettes of fleshy, spiky leaves with tall flower stalks.

Size: Typically 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Medicinal gel from the leaves, ornamental plant.

Purple Coneflower

Appearance: Large, showy flowers with cone-shaped centers and drooping petals.

Size: Usually 2 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide.

Uses: Medicinal herb, ornamental plant, attracts pollinators.

Beardtongue

Appearance: Tubular flowers in various colors, on tall stems with narrow leaves.

Size: Ranges from 1 to 4 feet tall, depending on the species.

Uses: Ornamental plant, some species used in traditional medicine.

Blanket Flower

Appearance: Brightly colored daisy-like flowers on long stems.

Size: Varies by species, typically 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, attracts pollinators.

Yarrow

Appearance: Feathery foliage with flat-topped clusters of flowers in various colors.

Size: Generally 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Medicinal herb, ornamental plant, attracts beneficial insects.

Stonecrop

Appearance: Succulent leaves and clusters of star-shaped flowers.

Size: Varies by species, but generally low-growing and spreading, ranging from a few inches to 2 feet in height.

Uses: Ornamental plant, ground cover, some species have medicinal properties.

Rosemary

Appearance: Aromatic, needle-like leaves on woody stems with small blue flowers.

Size: Can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Culinary herb, aromatic properties, traditional medicinal uses.

Agave

Appearance: Large succulent with sharp, spiky leaves arranged in a rosette shape.

Size: Can grow up to 6 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Edible flower stalks, medicinal properties in traditional herbal remedies.

Yucca

Appearance: Sword-like leaves forming a clump with tall flower spikes.

Size: Typically 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Edible flowers and fruit, soap-making from root fibers.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Appearance: Thick, succulent pads with spines and showy flowers.

Size: Various species, but commonly 3 to 6 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Edible fruit (prickly pear), medicinal properties in traditional medicine.

Lavender

Appearance: Fragrant, grayish-green foliage with spikes of purple flowers.

Size: Typically 1 to 3 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Culinary herb, essential oil production, herbal medicine.

Sage

Appearance: Gray-green leaves with purple-blue flowers on upright stems.

Size: Typically 1 to 2 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Culinary herb, medicinal properties in traditional medicine.

Rockrose

Appearance: Evergreen shrub with showy, papery flowers in various colors.

Size: Varies by species, generally 2 to 5 feet tall and wide.

Uses: Ornamental plant, aromatic properties in potpourri.

Maximizing Water Conservation in the Garden

If you’ve already implemented drought tolerant plants into your sustainable garden design and set up a rainwater harvesting system, the next thing you should consider is if there is anywhere that you can add mulch to your garden.

Mulch acts as a protective layer over the soil, reducing evaporation and slowing down water loss. It helps to keep the soil consistently moist by preventing water from quickly evaporating under the sun and wind. Mulch creates a barrier that inhibits weed growth. Weeds compete with garden plants for water, so by suppressing their growth, mulch helps reduce water loss by minimizing competition for moisture. It acts as an insulating layer, moderating soil temperature fluctuations. It keeps the soil cooler during hot weather, reducing water evaporation, and warmer during colder periods, promoting root health and water absorption, and helps to prevent soil erosion by reducing the impact of heavy rainfall on the soil surface. It absorbs and disperses the force of falling water, preventing runoff and allowing water to infiltrate the soil more effectively.

Organic mulches, such as compost, break down over time and improve the soil structure. This enhances the soil's water-holding capacity, allowing it to retain moisture for longer periods and reducing the need for frequent watering, and when water is applied to the garden, mulch helps to slow down the flow and absorption of water, preventing runoff. This allows the plants to utilize more of the water provided, reducing water waste.

To maximize the water-saving benefits of mulch, it is essential to apply an adequate layer (2 to 4 inches) around plants, leaving space around the stem to prevent moisture-related issues. Additionally, selecting organic mulch materials, such as wood chips, straw, or compost, provides the added advantage of improving soil health over time.

I encourage you to take action in the fight against climate change by incorporating these elements into your landscape design to save water, reduce your environmental impact, and create a healthier ecosystem!