Designing a Low-Water Use Landscape: Waterwise Plants
Excellent Water-Wise Plants
When designing a waterwise garden, it's wise to select ornamentals that thrive in your region of San Diego County. There is no doubt that local natives will work well in your landscape, but there are other plants from other parts of the world that will do fine in your San Diego County yard. For example, you can opt for water-wise plants native to the Southwest. Other options include water-wise plants from the Central Coast of Chile, Southwestern Australia, the Mediterranean Basin, and South Africa.
Designing with Low-Water Use Plants
Low Spreading Plants
Low-spreading plants are a great planting for San Diego County landscapes. They're also known as ground cover, and these types of plants have several benefits, including suppressing weeds, covering bare soil, and preventing erosion.
Ceanothus griseus' Kurt Zadnik' is one of the best ground covers for adding a splash of color to your garden. In the spring, bright indigo flowers appear. It's a clean-looking shrub that grows 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads or trails 6 feet or more in length.
Fire-Wise and Water-Wise Planting
Creating a defensible space in your landscape is highly recommended, especially for those living in areas prone to wildfires. Some suggestions include filling the space between boulders with water-wise plants, such as geraniums. In San Diego area gardens, you can opt for planting nutmeg-scented and rose-scented geraniums. Attract hummingbirds by planting sweet pea shrubs!
Butterfly Attractors
Do you love the sight of butterflies in your garden? Who doesn't?! Butterflies love to visit the beehive-shaped centers of the Coneflower, a tough, waterwise plant with daisy-like flowers. Once established, these plants can reward your garden with flowers in a range of colors, including pink, lavender-purple, yellow, orange, and white.
Water Wise Plants with Bright Berries
One of the most common water-wise plants is Toyon. This California native shrub puts on a show in winter when bright red berries envelop it. When the berries arrive, it's a festive sight, making it an excellent choice for holiday decorations. Toyon berries are also a valuable food source for wildlife, especially in winter.
Plants with Bold Foliage
Creating drama in a landscape is a surefire way to inspire awe with a visually captivating scene. One of the most effective ways to make a dramatic landscape is by incorporating contrasts in color, texture, light, and shadow. There are numerous ways to achieve this look, and one such method is by planting Mediterranean Spurge with Aeonium arboretum 'Zwartkop.' The lime-colored flowers of the Mediterranean Spurge contrast beautifully with the chocolate-hued appearance of an Aeonium arboretum 'Zwartkop.'
Shape and Texture
There are many water-wise plants with interesting shapes and textures that you can incorporate into your San Diego landscape. Aloes and Agaves have bold shapes and are highly drought tolerant. Other succulents to consider include Sedums and Echeverias. Lavender is another excellent waterwise plant with fragrant flowers and soft, silvery-green foliage.
Combining plants can create the drama you're after. To do this, you can pair succulents with a finer-textured plant, like lavender. Try a mix of heights, like low-spreading groundcovers, medium-sized shrubs, and taller succulents or grasses.
Common Misconceptions
All plants require water. Regular, deep irrigations throughout their first year will help their roots become established. By the second year, many waterwise plants will do just fine with occasional deep watering.
Experience Quality Service. The Difference...Is Growing
Westturf Landscape Management Inc. is a pioneer in "Green Landscaping." We have been helping clients save money with drought-tolerant landscaping options since 1974.
Call us at 760-650-3120 or message us online for a free quote.
Let's work together
Do you have a landscaping project in mind? is it time for a new HOA landscaping company? Westturf Landscape Management is ready to help. We offer a wide range of services, from synthetic turf installation to weed and brush clearance and complete landscape transformations. When it comes to quality, efficient landscaping services, we have you covered.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Westturf Landscape Management
701 Mercantile Street
Vista, CA 92083
Phone: 760.650.3120