Category: Garden

When it comes to watering your yard or garden, less is more. Overwatering not only harms your cherished greenery but also has detrimental effects on the environment. If you commit to watering your lawn or garden less, not only will your bank account thank you, but so will your favorite plants. Here are four signs that you may be overwatering:

1. No Room to Grow

Though brown patches in your lawn may seem like a sign that your grass needs more water, the opposite can in fact be true. Watering every day causes roots to become over-saturated and stunts their growth. The best thing you can do for your lawn is minimize your watering time to allow the roots to flourish and grow.

2. Your Water and Electric Bills are Sky High

Watering your healthy yard or garden every day is a waste of your hard-earned money. The more water you pump, the more electricity and water you use. This is not only bad for your wallet but harmful to the environment as well.

3. Too Many Weeds

Overwatering causes unwanted weeds to pop up, which can ruin your grass and result in more back-breaking labor. This means less time for you to enjoy your beautiful lawn or garden. If you have a serious weed problem, it could be because you overwater your lawn.

4. More Pesticides More Problems

Another sign that you may be overwatering is that you use a large amount of fertilizers to keep your yard or garden looking its best. When you overwater the chemicals do not have time to absorb properly and you tend to use more.  Overwatering can also lead to runoff which takes the unabsorbed fertilizer into our storm drains, endangering our watersheds.

Dry gardens with a desert-like texture are becoming the hottest trend to pop up in SoCal front yards since the invention of the garden gnome. Love the idea of having eye-popping curb appeal but hate the constant watering and attention required by a traditional garden? Xeriscaping may be the answer you’re searching for. This technique of landscaping focuses on designing gardens that require little or no irrigation.

Here are four reasons why switching to a dry garden is great for you and our watersheds:

1. Less is More

Traditional gardens and lawns are prone to overwatering, creating run-off that potentially carries pet waste, pesticides and household hazardous waste into storm drains. Plants such as succulents, aloes, yuccas, and agaves naturally store water, requiring less irrigation and reducing chances of run-off. Your plants will thrive and the watershed, as well as your water bill, will benefit!

2. Mother Nature Digs It

The native ecosystem of our Riverside County watersheds includes many plants that naturally prefer dry climates. Gardening with greenery indigenous to your watershed’s region keeps the plant-life the way nature intended it to be. Wildlife such as bees, hummingbirds and butterflies will be able to thrive in their natural habitat.

3. Back a Born Survivor

Hate it when your plants go on life support at the peak of a SoCal summer? This isn’t a worry when it comes to a dry garden. These plants will survive perfectly well in one-hundred-degree temps, as they are made to survive the driest of weather. Most of these durable plants can take whatever Mother Nature brings year-round.

4. Get That Desert Aesthetic

The desert is beautiful in its own unique way. Dry gardens are a great way to bring more of this majestic landscape into our daily lives.