The Water-Smart Garden: Techniques and Strategies for Conserving, Capturing, and Efficiently Using Water in Today's Climate... and Tomorrow's

by Noelle Johnson

Overview

Have you ever faced water-use restrictions and worried about how you can still grow a beautiful, productive landscape? Let The Water-Smart Garden show you how!

As freshwater shortages increasingly strike regions around the globe, it’s more important than ever to employ water-conserving practices in the garden. Whether your landscape is filled with shrubs and perennials or fruits and vegetables, in The Water-Smart Garden, you’ll learn dozens of techniques to limit water use while growing a gorgeous and thriving garden. Not only will you learn how to make smart plant choices and improve the water-holding capacity of your soil, you’ll learn xeriscaping techniques, drought-tolerant growing tips, and plant care advice to make the most of low-water situations.

Also includes information on:

• Harvesting and redistributing rainwater in cisterns and rain barrels
• Employing methods like ollas and drip irrigation to target water directly to plant roots
• Being more water-efficient in the vegetable garden by using mulches and targeted irrigation
• Planting containers that require less-frequent watering 
• Replacing a lawn with more drought-resilient plants 
• Building swales and berms to redirect water to where it’s needed

Author and dry-gardening horticulturist Noelle Johnson of @az.plant.lady makes it easy to help save this precious resource and still have a resilient, attractive, and low-maintenance landscape.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760388242
Publisher:	Cool Springs Press
Publication date:	01/07/2025
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Noelle Johnson is a horticulturist, landscape consultant, and garden writer who lives in the Phoenix, Arizona, metro area. Popularly known as “AZ Plant Lady,” her passion for over 20 years has been to inspire and teach people to create, grow, and maintain beautiful gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She is the author of the popular blog Desert Gardening 101, where she has been imparting essential gardening advice for over 10 years. Noelle has been an instructor at both the Desert Botanical Garden and the Tucson Botanical Gardens, and also speaks to garden groups about desert gardening. Over her career, Noelle has written for Water Use It Wisely, Birds & Blooms magazine, Houzz, Phoenix Home & Garden magazine, and The Home Depot. Her goal is to give people the knowledge they need to create, grow, and maintain a beautiful garden that thrives in a hot, dry climate.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Welcome to Gardening with Less Water 
1 Identifying Low-Water Conditions Where You Live 
2 Plant Choice and How It Influences Water Use 
3 Where and How to Plant for Water Efficiency 
4 Building Drought-Resistant Soil 
5 Rain and How to Capture It—Free Water! 
6 When and How to Water Plants Efficiently 
7 Maintaining Low-Water Plants the “Right” Way 
8 Replacing the Thirsty Lawn 
9 Waterwise Container Gardening 
10 The Water-Efficient Vegetable Garden 
11 Projects 
Resources 
Photography Credits 
Location Credits 
Acknowledgments 
About the Author 
Index 

Editorial Reviews

Water is such a precious resource. But when it comes to conserving it, how do we know where to start? Author Noelle Johnson offers a wealth of strategies and solutions that are applicable no matter where you live and the type of gardening you engage in. Water-Smart Gardens is a must-read for all gardeners and homeowners!

—Susan Mulvihill, author of “The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook” and “The Vegetable Garden

The Water-Smart Garden: Techniques and Strategies for Conserving, Capturing, and Efficiently Using Water in Today’s Climate… and Tomorrow’s by Noelle Johnson is an indispensable guide for creating a sustainable, water-efficient garden. With Johnson’s extensive experience in Southwest gardening and drought-tolerant plants, this book provides practical strategies for every aspect of water conservation—from selecting the right plants and building drought-resistant soil to capturing rainwater and maintaining low-water plants.The book’s stunning, full-color photographs are both inspirational and instructional, offering clear visual guidance on implementing these techniques. Whether you're an experienced gardener or a beginner, Johnson’s expert advice and beautiful visuals make this an essential resource for transforming your garden into a model of efficiency and beauty. The Water-Smart Garden is a must-read for anyone committed to thriving, eco-friendly gardening—Shawna Coronado, author of 101 Organic Garden Hacks: Eco-Friendly Solutions to Improve Any Garden

"As a Pacific Northwest gardener, I am familiar with Noelle’s work in the temperate areas of Arizona, so I was curious about what she can offer a PNW gardener. This book is a great resource for understanding the culture of drought, conservation, capture, and water use in the garden. It is timely and essential to look at all options for your garden. Noelle touches on all methods of efficiently getting water to the garden with easy-to-understand drawings, photos and explanations to help you choose and create a beautiful water-wise garden."

—Sue Goetz, Designer, Horticulturist, Author and Speaker

We all want the peaceful beauty of flowers and foliage plants; respite from summer’s heat under the canopy of mature shade trees; the joy of growing fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits in our food gardens; and even the tickle of turf grass on our bare feet. At the same time, for the sake of future generations, we must be cognizant of the amount of water we’re using. The Water Smart Garden is a book you will refer to again and again to balance what you want out of your yard while still being a responsible steward of this planet.

Having spent part of my childhood in Southern Nevada, and returning many times, I’ve seen firsthand the shocking water level drop on Lake Mead over the decades. Being a military/civil service family my entire life, and living and travelling over a good bit of the country and the world, I’ve seen what a precious commodity water is and how different communities deal with it.

After six decades of moving every few years, we’ve finally found our permanent home. I’ve taught small-space veggie and herb gardening in the US, Germany, and Kenya, but have not had much experience working with ornamental perennials and trees until now.

Of course, I turned to chapters 10 and 11 first to make sure the information on food gardening was clear and accurate, and found it was even more comprehensive than I had expected. To help me on my new journey, I wanted a book from a trusted source to provide well-researched information to guide me as I change things on this property—like removing parts of our lawn and implementing smart water strategies. That book is Noelle Johnson’s The Water Smart Garden.

—Kim Roman, Square Foot Gardening 4 U, and author How to Garden Indoors & Grow Your Own Food Year-Rou

The Water Smart Garden is an excellent resource for both those gardening in dry climates and those who are trying to conserve their water use in general to grow a more sustainable landscape. I was especially pleased to see author Noelle Johnson address lawn replacement and the use of drought-tolerant groundcover plants. Johnson's writing is clear and accessible with many practical tips and lots of ideas that can be easily implemented.

—Kathy Jentz, author, Groundcover Revolution

"My favorite part of the book, however, is the projects. Unlike most books that just spend a couple of pages, each project has its own devoted chapter, making sure you have everything you need to properly grow and conserve water. Overall, I consider The Water-Smart Garden a must for any gardener, no matter their grow zone!"

—Susan Bewley, Budget Earth

"The photos in this book are outstanding. While lovely enough to be a coffee table book, it is a clear how-to book that tells you how to “Grow a beautiful, resilient, and productive garden with minimal water”

—Splash Magazines

"The Water-Smart Garden illustrates how to have a beautiful, productive garden while conserving water. This is a timely, motivational guide to stewardship of what is probably the most crucial element of life on this planet – fresh water. The book is richly illustrated; inspirational; resource-filled; and practical with down-to-earth projects." 

—The American Gardener

"With a focus on using less water, The Water-Smart Garden provides a path to rethinking the way we build our gardens, even our container gardens. Anyone who would consider having a less-thirsty garden would find interesting ideas in Johnson's book."

—Andrea Siegel, Washington Gardener

"An accessible handbook for gardeners interested in reducing their water usage. Johnson explains a variety of approaches to gardening with less water, and most readers will find something that works for them."

—Judy Poyer, Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/11/2025

Horticulturist and landscape consultant Johnson (Dry Climate Gardening) guides readers through a holistic exploration of how to reduce water usage while still maintaining an attractive home landscape. Vibrant and instructive photographs accompany the text throughout the book. Johnson promotes drip irrigation, but she acknowledges that it is not the best watering solution for everyone, so she describes alternative methods, including harvesting rainwater and using ollas. She instructs readers on evaluating their garden space regarding average rainfall, sun exposure, climate region, and soil type. She provides an extensive list of plants that are acclimated to areas with lower levels of rainfall, but readers should be aware that one of the recommended shrubs, Nandina, is an invasive species in some U.S. states. Johnson also addresses the water needs specific to lawns, vegetable gardens, and container gardens and how to water these garden types efficiently. The final chapter outlines projects that should be manageable for most gardeners. The book's back matter includes a list of resources and an index. VERDICT An accessible handbook for gardeners interested in reducing their water usage. Johnson explains a variety of approaches to gardening with less water, and most readers will find something that works for them.—Judy Poyer

Library Journal