Yesterday I read an interesting article about a project that they run in Austin. You see, Austin Water Utility pay the inhabitants of the area money back if they drop their thirsty lawns and instead grow drought resistant plants. And this has become very popular. One example is Jane H., who has discovered several ways to cut down on the amount of water she uses in her garden. First of all, she has found some plants that both look beautiful and only need very little water. In fact, some of her plants she doesn't need to water at all. By using these plants in her garden Jane protects the environment - and saves money, she says. Another inhabitant of Austin, Turisa Rucker, says that her family has cut their water bill in half, due to the program that Austin Water Utility runs. She says that she now considers a lawn to be wasted space in her garden. Instead she wants to use that space to grow beautiful, drought resistant plants. And many of these plants also don't need to be taken too much care of, because they're more robust. So Jane and Turisa both save money and time. Most of these plants Jane and Turisa now have in their gardens are native plants. Even though many of the plants in Jane's garden don't need to be watered, she also prioritizes to have some vegetables. It's important to her to grow her own vegetables, which is yet another way to save money and protect the environment. I found this quite interesting, and will also try for myself to find some more drought resistant plants in my garden. It would be interesting to hear what you think of this idea, and if you can recommend any such drought resistant plants. Best, Anette
I placed my vote... but kinda "in the past". When I lived in New Mexico it was a necessity to plant drought resistant plants. But now that I'm back in the swamplands of SE Texas, it's not that critical. I do keep an eye out for them and have a few in my garden.
I use them where it is hard for me to get the hose and sprinkler. I live in south Louisiana we generally get sufficient rain, so watering is not a real big issue. I also save rain water the plants like it best.
I think it;s very important to learn about, and use native/drought resistant plants. It just seems more harmonious with Mother Nature! We have had SO much rain here this year (too much, really) that I haven't had to water much at all, but some years we get pretty dry, and it's nice to have tough plants that can survive in harsh conditions.
I try to get drought resistant plants for my gardens. We have well water and I will not water the gardens with it. I stockpile sump pump water in the spring and save rain water. The only thing I water are my containers, so perennials are on their own.
The major parts of my yard do not get any extra water. I love the look of perennials and have a wide variety of natives both edible and ornamental. I also have a significant amount of my yard in woodland plantings. There are a lot of periennials that do not need more than the yearly rain fall to do well in my area. Picking the right plant for the right ecosystem is as much luck as science. Especially as I have seen my ecosystems change throughout the years because of neighbors plantings and my own plants maturing.
Hi cherylad, Sounds like you've really learned the advantage of growing drought resistant plants when you lived in New Mexico, though it's not as dry in SE Texas. Anyhow, even though it's not as critical now, it's always nice to get a smaller water bill Best, Anette
Hi featherphobia, Yes, it's also my impression that the plants like pure rain water even better than the water from the faucet. Rain water is often softer - particularly if you live in an area where there's much chalk in the water. Best, Anette
Hi Kay, I agree. That's also the reason why I found that news article so interesting. And, of course, it's always nice if you can get a smaller water bill. It's really astonishing how expensive the water has become, at least in our area. But it's part of the local authorities' plan to cut down on the water consumption. And that's sensibly enough. I still remember how the people in my home town used to water their gardens during the summer. Practically all the houses used water sprinklers to sprinkle their gardens. But sometimes the local authorities were forced to put a ban on watering crops - in order to protect the drinking water. But the times are different now. Last year my husband was in China. There he discovered that their greatest need is not oil or coal, but rather water. And I know that it's the same situation in many other places. This year we've had so much rain here too that it's not that critical if we use a little bit extra water. But again, we can still see the consequences on our water bills. Best, Anette
Hi Netty, Sounds like our situation. I also almost only water our containers. However, sometimes I water some of our vegetables a bit. But not very much; just enough for them to stay alive and grow. Sounds interesting that you stockpile sump pump water in the spring and save rain water. It would be nice to see some pictures of how you do it, if possible. My brother is very handy with tools, and he's built a very clever system that collects the rain water and distribute it in his garden. Once he set it up it almost ran on autopilot. Best, Anette
Hi Jewell, It appears that you already are very aware of the importance of using drought resistant plants. I too have a lot of perennials in my garden. In fact, some of the perennials in our garden were planted many years ago by the couple that owned our house before we bought it. But they still look beautiful, require only small amounts of water and very little care. Have your neighbor's plantings affected your garden very much? It can very annoying if you try to take care of your garden and cultivate it as much as possible, but you get a lot of weeds, pests etc. from some of your neighbors. Best, Anette
