In the mountain west and high plains, gardening can be a battle with cold, rapidly changing climate conditions and water-saving issues. But despite the difficulties, you can have a wonderfully lush and lovely landscape. Here’s how:
Yarrow is highly drought-tolerant and comes in a variety of colors. (The most common is yellow.)
Photo Credit: Bailey Nurseries
Rugosa roses are tough as nails in cold climates and need little to no additional water once they’re established.
Photo Credit: Bailey Nurseries
Catmint covers itself with tiny bluish-purple flowers for most of the growing season and yet needs very little water.
Photo Credit: Bailey Nurseries
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Choose the right drought-tolerant plants for you and your location. Natives are always a great place to start. Look for native plant displays at garden centers or check out nurseries that specialize in them. There are hundreds of great drought-tolerant selections out there. To get started, try blanket flower (Gaillardia), catmint (Nepeta), annual larkspur (Consolida ajacis), rugosa roses (Rosa rugosa), yarrow (Achillea), thyme (Thymus), columbine (Aquilegia) and lilacs (Syringa).
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Group plants according to water needs. Put plants that need ample water together and close to the house, where you can keep an eye on them. Locate plants that need only moderate water together and a bit farther out from your home. And place species that need the least amount of water the farthest out, where you can basically let them be.
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Harvest rainwater. This gets easier every year as more garden centers carry rain barrels and other products intended to capture this precious liquid that would otherwise run through your downspout and away from your landscape. You can have one, two or even three barrels – some systems even deliver water directly to plants.
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Keep your automatic irrigation system in tip-top shape. Be sure to adjust it properly for the given time of year and expected rainfall. (And if you don’t already know how to adjust your timer system, it’s time to learn how.) Whatever you do, don’t overwater – learn how to keep your plants attractive with the absolute minimum amount.
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Mulch, mulch, mulch. This not only holds in moisture, it also keeps the soil cooler and has the added benefit of reducing weeds. Organic mulches, like wood bark, also eventually break down and feed the soil. Apply mulch about 1 inch deep around annuals, 2-3 inches deep around perennials and 3-4 inches deep around trees and shrubs. In vegetable gardens, a few layers of newspaper sheets topped with straw or grass clippings (as long as they’re not an invasive grass like Bermudagrass) make excellent mulch.
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Consider windbreaks. Wind dries out us humans, making our skin raw and our throats parched. It’s got a similar effect on plants, so shelter them from wind as much as possible. Plant a row of trees or tall shrubs (or a mix of both) to help slow and diffuse winds. A rule of thumb is to plant trees that will grow 1 ½ times the height of the house, placed at a distance equivalent to 3-5 times the height of the house. In areas where extreme winds are common, plant your windbreak closer and at roughly twice the height of the house. Good choices for windbreaks in the mountain west and high plains include tall evergreens like spruce (Picea), giant arborvitae (Thuja plicata) and other tall arborvitae, firs (Abies and Pseudotsuga) and pines (Pinus).
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Compost. Nothing improves any kind of soil better than adding generous amounts of compost. Make it a habit to add a spadeful or two to every planting hole. And as much is practical, spread 1 inch of compost around all your plantings early each spring. Composting not only inexpensively deals with autumn leaves, weeds and grass clippings, it helps the planet by reducing the amount of yard waste in landfills.
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Be smart about lawn. Keep it small and/or choose drought-tolerant grasses, like blue grama, zoysia or buffalograss. As much as possible, plant groundcovers instead of lawn grasses. Thyme (Thymus), low-growing sedums and ice plant (Delosperma) are great ones that need little water.
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Water wisely in fall. Too many gardeners forget that plants need water the entire time they’re growing. Plants that go into the winter weakened by overly dry conditions are far more likely to die out in winter. So keep up with watering as needed through that tough time of year.
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Terrace slopes, so you can capture rainwater that might otherwise run off.
With a little research and a bit of work in your garden, you can have a wonderfully lush landscape – and yes, even when you’re in a constant weather-changing climate that gets cold and dry. Happy water wise gardening!
