The Water-Saving Garden: How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden with a Lot Less Water

by Pam Penick

Overview

A guide to growing beautiful gardens in drought-prone areas utilizing minimal water for maximum results.

With climate change, water rationing, and drought on the rise, water conservation is more important than ever—but that doesn’t mean your gardening options are limited to cacti and rocks. The Water-Saving Garden provides gardeners and homeowners with a diverse array of techniques and plentiful inspiration for creating sustainable gardens that are so beautiful and inviting, it’s hard to believe they are water-thrifty. Including a directory of 100 plants appropriate for a variety of drought-prone regions of the country, this accessible and contemporary xeriscaping guide is full of must-know information on popular gardening topics like native and drought-tolerant plants (including succulents), rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, permeable paving, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607747949
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

PAM PENICK is a garden designer, award-winning blogger, and the author of Lawn Gone! She is a contributor to such magazines as Fine Gardening, Organic Life, and Garden Design, and has received several writing awards from the Garden Writers Association. She lives and gardens in water-challenged Austin, Texas.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Water is easy to take for granted in our country. 

Gushing from the faucet at the touch of a lever or twist of a knob, the most precious resource in the world—clean drinking water—gurgles into our homes like magic. Our great-grandparents may have hand-pumped a well, and their ancestors lugged buckets of water from the river. But we’re so accustomed to the convenience and availability of fresh water that we design our homes and grade our property to shed water and then pay to pipe it back in and spray it across our yards when rainfall is scarce—and often even when it isn’t. With a heedlessness born of cheap, plentiful water—a supply many regions can no longer count on—we run our sprinklers automatically and excessively, carpet our yards with thirsty lawn without regard to climate, and let rainwater and irrigation run off our yards and driveways into the street. This is madness. We must stop treating water as a disposable commodity in our landscapes and gardens and conserve it like the precious, limited resource it is.

The specter of drought, which has always haunted the American West, Great Plains, and Southwest, has lately spurred widespread interest in removing water-hogging lawns and an acceptance of drier gardens and native plants. Even in the wetter parts of the country, particularly the mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest, water conservation is increasingly popular. Combined with a renewed national interest in living more sustainably with less waste of our natural resources, water conservation—and, more broadly, water management—is now a priority no matter where one lives.

This is not to say we must not water our gardens, and it’s certainly not to say we must not have a garden. Planting a garden is a way of connecting with the natural rhythms of the seasons and with the earth itself. It’s a deeply worthy endeavor that brings beauty into our lives and communities, offers islands of wildlife habitat amid acres of paved urban sprawl, and teaches us the slower virtues of patience and hope in a fast-paced, need-it-yesterday world. A garden is an expression of creativity, and the finest gardens are works of art that excite, delight, or move us. Gardens feed our bodies and our spirits. They soothe us when we’re sick or sick at heart. Some can even accomplish that most miraculous feat of all: enticing our increasingly housebound children away from their computers and smartphones to trail their fingers in a pond, follow a butterfly’s fluttering path, or explore a mysterious, winding path.

All gardens—except those consisting only of rocks—need water to live. Even cacti cannot live without water. So how do we reconcile our wish to conserve—or, for those of us in drought-plagued regions, our pressing need to conserve—this most essential resource with our desire for a garden, and more than that, for a beautiful garden?

We do it by changing the way we garden and by shifting our ideas of what a garden can be and should look like. Just as we’ve learned to reduce water use indoors by turning off the faucet while we brush our teeth, installing low-flow toilets and showerheads, and waiting until the dishwasher is full before running a load, we can take similar water-saving measures in our gardens. These include choosing plants well adapted to our climate, irrigating less often and more efficiently, and using water-permeable paving. In addition, we can design gardens that actively collect rainwater and eliminate wasteful runoff. We can even use artistic arrangements of rock and plants to satisfy our “sweet tooth” for water by evoking the idea of it. Now that’s getting creative!

This book will show you that a water-saving garden can be so much more than just cacti or succulents, although certainly those can be beautiful too. A garden that sips instead of guzzles can be quite lush if planted with regionally appropriate plants. It’s a matter of adjusting expectations of what a garden should be and creating a responsible garden in harmony with nature. It’s about accepting the reality of one’s climate and gardening accordingly. If you live in a dry-summer climate, acknowledge that your garden will not be as flowery then as in wetter seasons and forgo the thirsty bedding annuals or perennials. If your region is arid, replace the lawn (or at least most of it) with native plants that thrive on rainfall, with occasional irrigation to get through excessively dry periods. It’s a commonsense approach with far-reaching impact and the added long-term benefits of saving you money and effort.

All it takes is a willingness to garden in tune with local conditions. This may take some experimentation as climate change alters our traditional weather patterns, causing more extreme weather events including flooding and drought, deep freezes and heat waves. But the payoff is a garden that adds value to your life and your community without the burden of guilt about water waste, a garden that is more likely to survive if water shortages mandate watering restrictions, and a garden that gives more than it takes.

We’ll start in Part One by touring several inspiring water-saving gardens to see what’s working, with particular attention to design ideas you can apply to your own yard.

In Part Two you’ll get practical, DIY-friendly techniques for holding on to rainwater through grading of soil, rain barrels, rain gardens, and water-permeable paving. We’ll discuss irrigation, how to decide whether it’s needed, and how to water efficiently, and you’ll get the dirt on improving your soil’s ability to hold water. Shade structures and windbreaks can also make a difference in preserving soil moisture, so we’ll explore various
ways of blocking sun and wind.

Part Three is all about plants. We’ll look at alternatives to the ubiquitous, thirsty lawn; how to group plants by watering needs, using native and adapted plants; and the best time of year to plant. Balcony and patio gardeners will appreciate a chapter devoted to saving water in container gardens.

In Part Four we’ll explore creative ways of adding the illusion of watery abundance in a garden. From dry creeks to stream-like mosaics to contemporary, colored-glass “rivers,” squeezing water from stone has never been so fun. Like stone, certain plants evoke the idea of water through a cascading or spraying form. In addition, ancient dry-garden traditions like Japanese Zen gardens and Moorish gardens have much to teach us about gardening with less water, and we’ll see what can be reinterpreted for today’s gardens.

Part Five gets you started with a list of 101 plants with drought tolerance for gardens across the country. You’ll find a variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, groundcovers, and more, with brief descriptions and growing information to help you make the right choices for your climate and your garden’s specific conditions.

Table of Contents

part one: DRINK UP the beauty & ingenuity of a water-saving garden  5
+ dry-garden journey to a courtyard oasis  9
+ zen inspiration for a concrete jungle  12
+ embracing the desert for outdoor living  14
+ holding on to every drop of rain  17
+ painting a dry slope with color  20
+ bold foliage takes center stage  22
+ evoking water in a dry garden  25
part two: make your garden a WATER SAVER, not a WATER GUZZLER  29
1 hold that liquid gold  31
2 think saltines: choose permeable paving  59
3 irrigation without irritation  69
4 the nitty-gritty on soil and mulch  85
5 throw some shade and shoot the breeze  101
part three: PLANTING the water-saving garden  113
6 lose the lawn  115
7 grow native—but enjoy well-adapted plants too  133
8 ripple-zone planting and rethinking lush  141
9 timing Is everything: when to plant  147
10 hot pots: saving water in container and balcony gardens  153
part four: oasis or mirage? creating the ILLUSION of water in the garden  163
11 the water feature as a symbol of abundance  165
12 water-evoking plants  171
13 squeezing water from stone  183
part five: 101 PLANTS for water-saving gardens  195
acknowledgments  223
recommended resources  224
photography and design credits  226
index  229

Editorial Reviews

11/16/2015
Penick (Lawn Gone!) proves that conserving water does not mean giving up gardening with her engaging, instructing, and nudging treatise. She approaches the politics of water conservation firmly and frankly, especially in her powerful introduction, asserting that “there’s no one ‘right way’ to plant a garden that saves water.” Before the how-to, Penick wisely offers a rotogravure of seven gardens that manifest the gorgeous of her subtitle. Next, she turns practical with water-holding techniques, such as grading soil, barreling rain, shaping rain gardens, and installing water-permeable paving. Part three introduces plant alternatives to thirsty thugs left by developers; she includes ideas for containers and patios. Part four, the most imaginative, explores the symbolic display of water in garden design, suggesting illusions of liquid via colored-glass “waterways,” or cascading plants, borrowing traditions from the Moors and Japanese. The last part lists drought-tolerant plants, from ground covers up to trees. Penick is practical and reassuring throughout, convincing readers that vibrant water-saving gardens are viable. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Penick (Lawn Gone!) proves that conserving water does not mean giving up gardening with her engaging, instructing, and nudging treatise. She approaches the politics of water conservation firmly and frankly, especially in her powerful introduction, asserting that 'there’s no one "right way" to plant a garden that saves water.'...Penick is practical and reassuring throughout, convincing readers that vibrant water-saving gardens are viable." 
– Publishers Weekly

“In an era of drought and unpredictable weather patterns, THE WATER-SAVING GARDEN could not come at a better time. With striking photographs and a designer's eye, Penick shows us just how gorgeous a water-wise garden can be. This is the must-have garden book of the year!”
– Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants
 
“For those interested in both beautiful gardens and being good stewards of our precious water resources, The Water-Saving Garden is a timely must-read.”
– Jim Peterson, Publisher, Garden Design Magazine
 
“Packed with design inspiration as well as practical advice, this timely book is a much-needed resource on creating and maintaining beautiful gardens with less water.”
– Susan Morrison, Landscape designer and co-author of Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
 
“From eye-popping design—regardless of budget—to nitty-gritty DIY details, The Water-Saving Garden takes us down the creative path to gorgeous gardens that spare the water and pump up our style. Purpose, practicality, and passion: it’s all right here.”
– Linda Lehmusvirta, Producer of Central Texas Gardener on Austin PBS
 
“The Water-Saving Garden blends a passionate homage to water’s importance for all life with practical, detailed advice about using less of it in the garden. Illustrations show enticingly diverse gardens and water-wise alternatives to lawns.”
– Evelyn Hadden, author of Hellstrip Gardening and Beautiful No-Mow Yards
 
“In The Water-Saving Garden, Pam Penick repositions water-conscious gardens as a central concern for all gardeners. Rich with inspiring examples and sage advice, this book boldly declares that water-wise gardens no longer need to be about sacrifice or compromise, but pleasure and abundance. An excellent resource for gardens in any climate.”
– Thomas Rainer, landscape architect and co-author of Planting in a Post-Wild World

“We all need access to nature for our well-being. Pam Penick has written a useful guide for creating beautiful gardens where saving water naturally follows.”
– Steve Martino, landscape architect

“In an era of drought and unpredictable weather patterns, The Water-Saving Garden could not come at a better time. With striking photographs and a designer’s eye, Penick shows us just how gorgeous a water-wise garden can be. This is the must-have garden book of the year!”
—Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2016
Penick (Lawn Gone!) showcases attractive, water-wise gardens, introducing such concepts as check dams and gravel gardens before detailing DIY techniques and tools. In addition, she presents artful ideas for creating the illusion of water.

Library Journal