Sustainable landscaping is a growing trend that focuses on creating outdoor spaces that conserve resources, support the environment, and enhance the beauty of your landscaping. 

With the increased need to reduce your carbon footprint, it's essential to understand the basics of sustainable landscaping and how to incorporate these practices into your property.

Understanding Sustainable Landscaping & Lawn Care

Sustainable landscaping benefits the environment, your community, and your well-being. By reducing water consumption, minimizing pesticide use, and preserving native habitats, sustainable landscaping helps to conserve resources, support biodiversity, and promote healthier living spaces.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a new one, this blog will provide valuable insights and information to help create a sustainable and beautiful outdoor space.

Xeriscaping: A Form of Sustainable Landscaping

You may have heard of the term xeriscaping, but do you know how it fits with sustainable landscaping?

You can design your garden and your landscaped areas using xeriscaping principles. The Greek word xeros means dry, and xeriscaping is a water-saving technique that reduces wasted water while conserving natural resources.

When you use xeriscaping techniques, you’ll install drought-resistant plants. You’ll also use other water-saving practices, such as 

• Proper soil preparation
• Efficient irrigation systems
• Incorporate mulch, stones, and gravel.

But if you use xeriscaping principles, does that mean you’re stuck with a dull landscape? And how does xeriscaping benefit you, the homeowner?

There are many benefits to xeriscaping, and by using the right plants in the right place on your property, you’ll find that you can still have a diverse landscape with lots of color and dimension.

Here are seven benefits of xeriscaping your property:
1.    Water conservation: As stated above, xeriscaping requires less water, making it easier for you to stay within municipal watering guidelines. If you have well water, xeriscaping helps you conserve water while taking care of your property.

2.    Cost savings: Since you’ll be using less water to keep your landscape alive, you’ll notice lower water bills.

3.    Drought tolerance: Your xeriscaped flowerbeds and other landscaped areas contain drought-resistant trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plants that can tolerate hot sun and dry conditions.

So when your region has dry conditions this summer, you know your landscape plants will survive, and your investment won’t be wasted.

4.    Low maintenance: Xeriscape landscapes are low maintenance and self-sustaining, giving you more time and money to invest in other interests.

5.    Beautiful landscapes: Every xeriscape landscape differs depending on your style and location. For example, you may use more evergreens and ornamental grasses in your landscape. 

Ornamental grasses give a kick of color and movement, including fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides), pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), and blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens).

• Blackfoot Daisies (Melampodium leucanthum) – White daisy-like plants that grow low to the ground and work in diverse temperatures in USDA plant hardiness zones 4-11. Blackfoot daisies are also drought tolerant.
• Cacti (Cactaceae caryophyllales) – Their different shapes and sizes often come with yellow, red, pink, and purple blooms.
•  Sage (Salvia officinalis) – A short-lived perennial herb, you can find various cultivars, including Russian sage, common sage, and culinary sage. The leaves have a pebbly texture and are greenish-gray or green. Spikey purple flowers are a pollinator magnet.
• Sedum (Sedum crassulaceae) – Another hardy perennial can be called the camel of the garden. Sedum can handle weeks of no water before any sign of wilting begins. Stonecrop sedum comes in dusty rose, white, and other blossom colors that appear in late August and last until the first frost.
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – A hardy perennial, yarrow has a long life in the summer garden. Flowers come in pink, red, white, lavender, and yellow blooms.

6.  Habitat creation: Xeriscape landscaping isn’t devoid of color or pollinators. For example, Big Blue sea holly (Eryngium zabelii) is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant perennial. It also attracts butterflies because of its bright blue blossoms.

7.   Environmental protection: Xeriscaping reduces the environmental impact of landscaping and gardening because it uses fewer synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

3 Ways to Incorporate Xeriscaping into Your Landscape

1.    Choose the right plants (and put them in the right spot)
As you can see from the list above, you want plants that can go a long time without water during the hot summer. 

Also, you want to install plants where they’ll thrive. For example, the perennials mentioned above do well in full sun, so you don’t want to plant them where there’s full shade.

2.    Install drip irrigation
Drip irrigation is the perfect solution for drought-tolerant landscaping. For example, K-Rain’s Drip Control Zone Kit has all the components for automatic filtration and pressure-regulated for a low-volume drip irrigation zone when connected to an irrigation controller.

The large water droplets go straight to the root system rather than being wasted sitting on plant foliage. Your plants get the right amount of water at the right time.

3.    Apply mulch and compost to hold water in and protect plant roots
Your secret sauces are mulch and compost for drought-tolerant landscaping. Use 100% natural products that provide moisture and keep water in the soil longer.

Compost also aerates your flowerbeds, allowing more water to get down to the root zones and opening the soil to receive oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.

How to Incorporate Other Sustainable Landscaping Techniques

If you live in a region with adequate rainfall during the growing season, dedicate a flowerbed or another landscaped area to xeriscaping. 

However, there are other sustainable landscaping techniques you can use that include

1. Native plants: Native plants grow in your region and have adapted to changing weather patterns. Native plants require less water and are low maintenance.
2. Rain gardens and dry creek streambeds: Rain gardens and dry creek streambeds help move water away from your home. They’re great for poor drainage areas and include plants that don’t mind wet feet. 
3.Permeable pavers: If you want to add a walkway or a new patio, consider using permeable pavers that allow water to percolate down to the ground.

How K-Rain Helps You with Xeriscaping and Sustainable Landscaping

At K-Rain, we sell sprinkler systems that conserve water and keep homeowners’ landscapes looking beautiful. Our drip irrigation kits and tree bubblers will deliver the right amount of water at the right time to your xeriscaped plants.

If you’re a DIYer, you can find manuals for K-Rain sprinkler systems on our website. If you prefer a professional to design and install your new K-Rain sprinkler system, our website helps you find a landscape contractor near you.

You can buy your K-Rain dripline, bubbler, and lawn sprinkler parts at our online store or your local Home Depot or Lowes. If you have questions about your K-Rain irrigation system parts, call our customer service at 800-735-7246 or fill out our contact form.

Sources:
GardeningKnowHow.com, Learn about Blackfoot Daisies: How to Grow Blackfoot Daisy Flowers.
Hort.Extension.Wisc.edu, Sage, Salvia officinalis.
LATimes.com, No Green Thumb Needed: 6 Drought-Tolerant Herbs That Are Almost Impossible to Kill.