Improving Your Lot Without A Lot of Water
As the owner of a garden design/construction business I find myself at odds with the general populations views on some basic things. Like rain. While most people look forward to sunny weekends, I would selfishly trade most of them for rainy days if I could have dry weather during the week for my crews to work. Many people lament rainy days as uninspiring and bleak but as a gardener I know that life is a balance and into each garden a little rain must fall. If April doesn't bring showers we might not have many May flowers.
We are heading into spring with water-use restrictions as severe as any in recent memory. While new garden plants may not be an option for a while, there is no reason you still can't make wonderful changes to the appearance of your property.
If you're looking to make improvements to your property during this dry season, I suggest beginning with structural changes such as a new patio, paths, or stone walls. Much like redecorating a room inside your home, these garden elements, referred to as 'hardscaping' set moods that can change one's perception of a piece of property and greatly enhance your enjoyment of time spent outside. Once our water supplies have been replenished these new garden spaces can be planted to complete the make over. Ornamental mulches covering bare soil can dress up and reduce erosion until plantings are installed.
Another way to change the way you see your property is by installing landscape lighting. Effective lighting plans can create depth, excitement and surprises around your house by highlighting a special tree or rock, casting shadows of wispy branches on a wall, and leading visitors along a path around gardens or sculptures. Security and safety are also improved when outdoor lighting is added. Typical landscape lighting uses low-voltage fixtures that are energy efficient and modest in installation costs.
Finally, just because you can't water doesn't mean you can't create a new water feature on your property (providing of course, restrictions don't limit this, too). Installing a modest-sized pond with a waterfall or stream can bring tremendous enjoyment and entertainment to your gardens without using up more than a few dozen gallons of water. The water is recycled by a pump which means once filled you barely have to add to it. Birds will come to drink and bathe and if you add a nearby bird feeder you'll have as many colors flying in and around your backyard as any flower bed could provide.
