Drought-friendly Landscaping in Colorado

Drought-friendly Landscaping in Colorado
With changing climates around the world and people looking to use less water in their gardens, more people are turning to drought-friendly landscaping. Drought-friendly landscaping is a garden or area with trees and plants that thrive in dry conditions with minimal water requirements. In fact, some plants can go for long periods of time without needing water at all. To understand what is involved in drought-friendly landscaping, consider the following factors.

Drought-friendly Landscaping in Colorado

Attend to the Soil

Before planting anything, take a look at how the soil is and amend it accordingly. Materials like straw, peat moss, and compost help amend the soil for drought-friendly landscaping. These materials are good at absorbing moisture and will conserve water a lot better as opposed to it running off hard soil.

Attend to Bare Ground

As mentioned, hard soil will cause water to run off. Covering any bare ground can help stop this from happening especially in areas that get a lot of sunlight. Not only do these dry, bare areas look unappealing, but covering the bare spots will help the area hold moisture longer. You can use plants or mulch or other ground covers to do this.

Choosing the Right Mulch

The mulch that is used to cover bare grounds must be chosen properly to receive the full benefits. When mulch breaks down it provides the soil with nutrients and helps growing plants stay healthy. Mulch is easily accessible and is a low-cost option for those looking to make a drought-tolerant landscape. While mulching is effective, it may hold too much water for some plants. For plants such as succulents and cacti, stones and pebbles are the perfect choices for ground cover.

Use Prickly Plants

Some of the best drought-tolerant plants to use are the ones with thorns on them. The best example of these plants is cacti. They are highly effective in drought-resistant landscaping designs as they do not require a lot of water to grow. Think about how many cacti grow out in the deserts. The main factor to consider when purchasing a cactus is to make sure that they are winter hardy too so that they can survive all year long.

Create a Water Source

A drought-friendly landscape is water-wise, as it promotes the idea of saving water. To add to this goal, you should invest in a way of collecting rainwater/water runoff! Put a large barrel or bucket in open areas or close to rainwater channels that will help fill up the reservoir easily with minimal effort.

Choose your Irrigation System

There will be times when it is needed to water the area, and the most effective system for this is a drip irrigation system. It is less effort than a watering can and uses less water than an overhead sprinkler system.

SOLMAUNA Creations & Landscaping Designs in Colorado

Our team of landscape designers brings a unique combination of landscape architecture education paired with extensive knowledge of plants to the table. Contact us Today.

Drought-friendly Landscaping in Colorado

Drought-friendly Landscaping in Colorado
With changing climates around the world and people looking to use less water in their gardens, more people are turning to drought-friendly landscaping. Drought-friendly landscaping is a garden or area with trees and plants that thrive in dry conditions with minimal water requirements. In fact, some plants can go for long periods of time without needing water at all. To understand what is involved in drought-friendly landscaping, consider the following factors.

Drought-friendly Landscaping in Colorado

Attend to the Soil

Before planting anything, take a look at how the soil is and amend it accordingly. Materials like straw, peat moss, and compost help amend the soil for drought-friendly landscaping. These materials are good at absorbing moisture and will conserve water a lot better as opposed to it running off hard soil.

Attend to Bare Ground

As mentioned, hard soil will cause water to run off. Covering any bare ground can help stop this from happening especially in areas that get a lot of sunlight. Not only do these dry, bare areas look unappealing, but covering the bare spots will help the area hold moisture longer. You can use plants or mulch or other ground covers to do this.

Choosing the Right Mulch

The mulch that is used to cover bare grounds must be chosen properly to receive the full benefits. When mulch breaks down it provides the soil with nutrients and helps growing plants stay healthy. Mulch is easily accessible and is a low-cost option for those looking to make a drought-tolerant landscape. While mulching is effective, it may hold too much water for some plants. For plants such as succulents and cacti, stones and pebbles are the perfect choices for ground cover.

Use Prickly Plants

Some of the best drought-tolerant plants to use are the ones with thorns on them. The best example of these plants is cacti. They are highly effective in drought-resistant landscaping designs as they do not require a lot of water to grow. Think about how many cacti grow out in the deserts. The main factor to consider when purchasing a cactus is to make sure that they are winter hardy too so that they can survive all year long.

Create a Water Source

A drought-friendly landscape is water-wise, as it promotes the idea of saving water. To add to this goal, you should invest in a way of collecting rainwater/water runoff! Put a large barrel or bucket in open areas or close to rainwater channels that will help fill up the reservoir easily with minimal effort.

Choose your Irrigation System

There will be times when it is needed to water the area, and the most effective system for this is a drip irrigation system. It is less effort than a watering can and uses less water than an overhead sprinkler system.

SOLMAUNA Creations & Landscaping Designs in Colorado

Our team of landscape designers brings a unique combination of landscape architecture education paired with extensive knowledge of plants to the table. Contact us Today.