Water Capture in the Xeric Garden...

...can be as simple as putting a bucket under the downspout, or as complex as multiple cisterns and rain barrels with taps, pumps and hoses to deliver the water to its destination.

Capturing Mother Natures water is an important feature of a xeric garden; just choosing drought tolerant plants and having smart strategies to make your water go further isn't enough; even your xeric garden requires some water.

Rainfall and Greywater

In some areas of the world, greywater, the waste water from showers and laundry, is guided into a treatment area such as a mulch bed or reed bed to be purified in a natural way. Warm winter areas would be the most logical place to use this.

Become a Lazy Xeric Gardener

Get your Systems in Place

Use a siltation pond to allow the sediment to settle before the water leaves your garden.

Safety and Maintenance Tips

• Don't leave containers of water open for babies, pets or wildlife to fall in and drown.

• Keep containers covered against mosquitoes - don't risk the West Nile virus, or heart worm in your dogs.
  
  
• Be aware of algae build up in the containers, some of it is toxic to pets or wildlife, as well as being unappealing to us.

• Use the water immediately if it's stagnant and putrid - put it on your compost pile!

• Winterize your water collection system by draining all buckets and rain barrels before cold weather arrives, as ice building up can split plastic or metal.

Using some smart systems to capture at least a little bit of water can ease the burden on our public water systems, plus the strain on your wallet.

If you can use free water, and gravity to get it to where it has to go, you'll save money and the planet in one easy step.

go to Drought Smart Plants home page

go to Xeric Gardens page

go to Xeriscape Design page