With the recent announcement from the State of California calling on us all to do our part and make conservation a way a life, and with April being National Garden Month, this month features not just one, but ten ways to conserve water in your home landscape:

  1. Select water-efficient plants that grow well in our desert
  2. ‘Hydrozone’: Place plants with similar water needs together and irrigate them accordingly (high, medium, low, and very low zones) 
  3. Let roots of established plants dry out between irrigations, water deeply and infrequently slightly below the root zone 
  4. If you do not use or enjoy your lawn, consider replacing it with drought-tolerant plants
  5. Mix soil amendments (compost, etc.) evenly and deeply into sandy and clay soils (40% or more by volume) before planting 
  6. Spread a 2–3 inch layer of mulch on top of soil around garden plants and trees 
  7. Water early in the morning 
  8. Control weeds 
  9. Avoid over-fertilizing 
  10. Sweep walkways and driveways, do not hose them down with water 

For landscaping inspiration, be sure to visit CV Water Counts Water Conservation Gallery.

Source: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources | UCCE Master Gardener Program