Gardening with Less Water in Mind

North Plains community listen to Neil Hinders’ presentation on achieving a yard dedicated to xeriscaping. Cindy Rhoades won the $30 gift card to Canyon’s Edge Plants.

The district held a water wise Gardening Class on March 11, 2017 where Neal Hinders, owner of Canyon’s Edge Plants, taught the community how to have a beautiful landscape while being responsible stewards of the area’s precious water resources. Hinders discussed xeriscaping concepts and low-water use plant varieties and their characteristics. Canyon’s Edge Plants is located on the square in Canyon, TX and specializes in low-water use and native plants.

The word “xeriscape” was coined by the Denver Water Department in 1981 to help make water conserving landscaping an easily recognized concept. The word is a combination of “landscape” and the Greek word “xeros,” which means “dry.”

According to Hinders, there are seven water conserving principles that are used to achieve a yard dedicated to xeriscaping:

1. Planning and design: Plan ahead of time and group plants according to their water needs
2. Efficient irrigation: Different zones require different watering systems. Stressing plants by watering less encourages deeper roots.
3. Use of mulch: Organic mulch, such as shredded bark or composted cotton hulls, prevent water loss from evaporation and prevents weeds from germinating.
4. Soil preparation: Till the soil, add compost, till again, helping soil drain and adding air spaces for roots.
5. Appropriate use of turf: One of the most water saving features we can use in the panhandle. Minimizing the amount of cool season grasses in a yard is important, particularly in outlying areas with the larger yards.
6. Select and group plants appropriately: With a huge selection of plants available, there is no limit to design variations. For a list of xeriscape plants, go to https://northplainsgcd.org/conservationprograms/communityedu/xeriscaping/.
7. Appropriate maintenance: A properly designed xeriscape bed should require less maintenance than others over time. As plants mature, they will begin to crowd out weeds.

The key to watering the Texas landscape wisely is three-fold:

• Choose plants adaptive to conditions in your area of the state.
• Measure the amount of water needed to irrigate your landscape.
• Use the right tools and methods to deliver the optimal amount.

The class was free to the public, and attendees received free resources on water wise gardening and xeriscaping. One $30 gift card to Canyon’s Edge Plants was won by class attendee Cindy Rhoades, and all attendees received 25% off up to $100 at Canyon’s Edge Plants. Garden wisely!

For more information on xeriscape, water wise gardening, please contact Kirk Welch at (806) 935-6401 or email kwelch@northplainsgcd.org.