Finally got your dream house, but the issue is to maintain the dry lawn? Well, the water bill is not the most pleasant one, and lugging a hose throughout the garden daily does not look like the most pleasant thing to do. Fortunately, nature can give you a helping hand here! You can have your beautiful garden which demands almost no maintenance if you stop fighting the climate conditions of the area and start coexisting with them.
Stop looking at your garden as an exotic plant park and start seeing it as a mini-ecosystem of your own. The native plants have been evolving for thousands of years and adapted to the soil and climate of the place, thus becoming the best in their class. They will not need to drink lots of water, and in addition to that, native plants attract the native pollinators such as bees and butterflies turning your garden into the place full of life.
At first, it is important to find out what kind of plants grow naturally in your area. You can get some advice from the website of National Wildlife Federation or contact your local county extension office. Do not hurry to go to the big gardening center and buy the first flowers which seem to be nice to you in the pot. They can look pretty, but they usually require a lot of fertilizers and water to stay alive.
Once you have found your plants, it is the time to organize your garden by their needs. See how your garden is exposed to the sun and which places remain shady and humid during the afternoon. Hydrozoning, or grouping plants by their needs for water, will help you save lots of water that you will not need to pour into your garden.
Do not spend time looking for different fertilizers, concentrate on improving the soil instead. One of the best ways to keep moisture in the soil and prevent weeds is to use mulch. It is recommended to cover your soil with two-three inches of wood chips or shredded bark leaving some space around the stems.
Despite the desire to take care of your plants by watering them frequently as you are a novice gardener, it would be wrong decision. The native plants love infrequent watering, which will encourage their roots to grow and penetrate deeper into the ground. During the first year you will practically never use the hose again.
It will take some time before you will see results, but it will be worthwhile! You will save money and protect the environment and, finally, have some time to yourself instead of working in the garden. Plus, it is amazing to feel pride while watching a hummingbird eating from the flower planted by you.