Water Conservation In Your Landscape

With Idaho’s long drought seemingly never coming to an end the importance of conserving water is becoming more of a pressing concern everyday. One big factor in Idaho’s water usage is the amount of water used in landscapes. Millions of gallons of water are used every year to water lawns and landscapes for Idaho homes. So what are the steps you can take to save water? Simply swapping out high water usage plants (i.e. turf and annuals) for water wise shrubs, perennials and trees in your landscape is the best step forward to conserving water. By cutting down the amount of waterings needed each week for example from three times a week to once or twice can save an immense amount of water. As many Idahoans know, irrigation is often turned on late in the beginning of the year and is shut off early. This forces many Idahoans to resort to watering with a hose and receiving costly water bills. With the help of water wise plants you can lower the amount of labor and cost to keep your landscaping thriving. Now what plants are the best for low water usage? Tip: Native plants are best! Here are some of our favorite plants for low water usage:

Trees

Ponderosa Pine, Juniper, Western White Pine, Limber Pine, Western Catalpa, Bur Oak, Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn

Shrubs

Snowberry, Sagebrush, Sumac, Kinnikinnick, Rabbitbrush

Perennials

Yarrow, Blanket Flower, Coral Bells, Candytuft, Sedum, Lavender, Coneflower, Penstemon

Grasses

Fescue, Blue Gramma, Switchgrass, Yucca

For more information and to see how Arbor Farms Nursery can help you conserve water, call or visit us here at the nursery!