As California continues to experience historic drought conditions, now is the time to rethink the lush country garden aesthetic, if you haven’t already. Fortunately, there are plenty of lower water options if we look at gardening practices from other regions. Here are some local nursery ideas.
Choose plants wisely
“We really need to think about the next 10 years, not the next two months,” says Ashley Porter of Cloverdale Nursery of the choices we make for our gardens. She suggests picking plants from countries with hot, dry climates, such as Australia, Chile, Mexico, and South Africa, and recommends varieties like the Leucadendron ‘Safari Sunset’, a colorful, drought-tolerant shrub from South Africa, and the spiny-leaved Lomandra Breeze, native to Australia.
Mick Kopetsky of Mix Garden in Healdsburg recommends plant varieties that can withstand both arid summers and wet winters. “The climate is changing, but it’s not changing constantly,” he says. Some of his favorite plants include the Grevillia, Brugmalia, and Bulbine–Bulbine, which has spears with yellow and orange flowers that bloom from March through November. Herbs are also great year-round plants, he says, especially sage and rosemary which aren’t too thirsty.
Fight evaporation
Carefully choosing drought-tolerant plants for your garden isn’t the only way to conserve water. Kevin Lenhart, lead designer of online landscape design service Yardzen, recommends planting trees. “The shade cast by tree canopies keeps plants and soil cool, minimizing moisture loss through evaporation. Tree roots also break up the soil, improving its ability to absorb water into the soil.
Another way to create shade is to plant gardens more densely, says Ashley Porter of Cloverdale Nursery. Instead of planting in rows, she recommends plant in groups to create “microclimates (where) the shade of the large plants protects the (small) sensitive ones from the sun”. Porter also recommends taking water on rainy days.
Mulch, mulch, mulch
Mulching is another way to keep moisture in the soil (but remember that some mulches can be fuel for wildfires). Lenhart calls the ground cover “living mulch,” which can also help suppress weeds and erosion.
“There’s a bit of a disaster mentality with the weather and the water situation,” says Porter. But she thinks there are ways to adapt to this change that will reconnect people with nature and other parts of the world. “Now is the time to observe, learn and pivot,” she adds.
Click through the gallery above for more inspiration.
