Summer-scorched plants? Replace With Water-Wise Choices!
As fall approaches homeowners in mild areas of the country are looking to refresh their landscapes after a hot and dry summer. Fall is an excellent time to plant in many parts of the country as temperatures are milder and natural rainfall may return. If customers have lost plants due to the extreme weather, now is a good time to suggest replanting with more heat-tolerant, water-wise plant choices.
As water scarcity becomes a bigger challenge for homeowners all around the country, many are already making a big shift in how they view their landscape and what plant choices they are making. However, many aren’t aware of wide variety of water-wise plants available to them.
While the terms xeriscape or water-wise tend to make homeowners think they are limited to only cactus and succulents, there are many more alternative low-maintenance options. If customers want to keep a lusher look in their landscapes they can choose from tough ornamental grasses, and water-wise foliage shrubs.
One established, ornamental grasses such as dwarf pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana ‘Pumila’, and compactBlue Fescue, Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ and ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass are both beautiful and water-wise in any landscape. In fact, most grasses don’t like wet feet and prefer to dry between waterings, making them excellent choices for a more sustainable garden.
You don’t have to sacrifice beauty for reduced water needs when you plant tough foliage shrubs like dwarf nandina, Nandina domestica ‘Atropurpurea Nana’. These tiny but tough compact shrubs are perfect for hot and dry landscapes.
Any new planting, even of water-wise plants, will require some supplemental water at the start to get established. Just be sure to coach customers on how to take care of new plants and when they can back off on watering.
