Blanket flower, Gaillardia spp. Photo by Jim Cummins, WDFW

Save water, go native

Did you know that summertime landscape watering uses nearly 40 percent of water supplies in Washington’s cities and towns?

According to the Washington Department of Ecology, outdoor irrigation can reach as much as 3,000 gallons a day per home during the peak of summer. This year’s higher-than-normal temperatures and lower-than-normal rainfall in some parts of Washington could make this summer a record water use one.

But with population growth and climate change, water can no longer be considered unlimited in Washington. Meeting demands for all its uses – including fish and wildlife –  requires water conservation practices, with or without drought. 

One of the best long-term ways Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary managers can conserve water is to “go native” -- replace thirsty, exotic landscape plants and bluegrass lawn with appropriate native or drought-tolerant plants that will thrive on rainfall alone. The native wildlife species you want to attract to your yard evolved here with native plants. Their beautiful blooms, seeds and fruit are just as attractive as any non-native species, so going native is a win-win for everyone.

“Xeriscaping” (from the Greek “xeros” meaning “dry”) is sustainable landscaping that not only saves water, but requires far less maintenance and chemicals than lawns of non-native grass and garden beds of non-native plants.

Try replacing a few plants or small spaces of lawn at a time to try out a xeriscape. Even a native, drought-tolerant species will require regular watering after planting to establish a solid root system, so the water savings will come later.

More nurseries are carrying native and drought-tolerant stock, but you may have to shop around to find some species. The following lists of plant species are hardy throughout the state, but there are many other natives and drought tolerant plants that do well in more specific areas.

Deciduous shrubs: Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Oceanspray (Holodiscus spp.), Mock-orange (Philadelphus lewisii), Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus), Potentilla (Potentilla fruticosa), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Golden currant (Ribes aureum), Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), Wild rose (Rosa spp.), Sitka mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis), Cascade mountain-ash (Sorbus scopulina) , Shiny-leaved spirea (Spiraea betuliolia var. lucida.), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus).

Evergreen shrubs: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate), Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), Tall Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium).

Low shrubs and ground covers: Kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Dwarf Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium “Compacta”), Creeping Oregon-grape (Mahonia repens).

Flowering perennials: Yarrow (Achillea spp.), Nodding onion (Allium cernuum), Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis  margaritacea), Aster (Aster spp.), Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza spp.), Campanula (Campanula spp.), Paintbrush (Castilleja spp.), California poppy (Eschscholtzia californica), Blanket flower (Gaillardia spp.), Scarlet gilia (Gilia aggregata), Wild sweet pea (Lathrus spp.), Lupine (Lupinus spp.), Penstemon (Penstemon spp.), Goldenrod (Solidago spp.).  

When you plant anything – native or not – remember to locate it in your yard where it is best suited to minimize water use. Don’t  plant a shade-loving species in a full-sun location, or you will be constantly watering it and it will likely never look at home.

Meanwhile, there are many ways you can save water while maintaining your current landscape.

• Water at night or very early in the morning, when temperatures are cooler and evaporation is low.
• Check your sprinkler system often to repair broken sprinkler heads and leaking valves. 
• Adjust sprinklers so they water only the lawn and plants, not the sidewalk, driveway or street.
• Install a rain sensor on an automatic irrigation system to turn off when raining.
• Use drip irrigation (hoses or plastic pipelines with pin holes to release water only at plants) to wet the soil slowly, use less water, and maximize the amount of water that goes to the plant .
• Water plants deeply but less frequently to encourage deep root growth and drought tolerance; a little water stress helps plants acclimate to receiving less water.
• Use bark or leaf mulch to help keep the soil cool and moist, and to reduce weeds which compete for water.
• Avoid using grass clippings, rocks or black plastic as mulch materials. Grass clippings can mat down and dry, preventing water penetration; rock mulches absorb and radiate heat, drying out plants; plastic blocks water penetration and  proper exchange of air to plants.
• Remove weeds, which are usually deep rooted and will exhaust deep profile water needed by other plants and grass.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks.

Keep the lawn and save water, too
Lawn care experts say occasional, deep watering is best for the grass plant.

And yet many people persist with watering their lawn every day, sometimes even twice a day, often for only 10 minutes at a time. With that pattern of watering, the grass plant will not establish the deep root systems that are necessary for it to withstand extended periods of hot weather. 

As a result, it takes more and more water to keep the grass green as summer progresses. To get the most from your lawn watering, water for longer periods of time but less often. For example, water twice a week for one hour.  Be sure to water in the morning or evening to avoid evaporation and burning from the sun.

Grass needs only one inch of water a week. To determine how long it takes to get one inch of water, place pans around your lawn and turn on the sprinklers.  Time how long it takes the pan to fill with one inch of water.  Divide that time in half and water for that long twice a week.

Save water and close the deer candy store
Deer love bluegrass, clover, berries, fruit trees, roses, tulips and a host of other plants that in turn love water. When the nearby woods or open fields are dry as toast, your heavily irrigated landscape is like an oasis in the desert to them.

You can close that deer candy store you’ve been running in the red by replacing those water-loving plants with drought-tolerant species.

There’s no guarantee that deer won’t try other plants – in fact, young, new plants of any kind are especially vulnerable to taste-testing and nibbling by deer. But in the long run, you’re less likely to draw deer to your landscape with established, drought-tolerant plants that you don’t need to water.

Drought-tolerant plants (some native, some not) that can be more or less deer “resistant” include Barberry, Blanket flower, California poppy, Chokecherry, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Cotoneaster, Crocus, Daffodil, Daisy, Iris, Juniper, Lilac, Oregon-grape, Potentilla, Serviceberry, Snowberry,  Spirea, and Wild rose.