UGA Cooperative Extension

Bamboo Farm & Coastal Gardens: Xeriscape Garden

Written by:

Dr. Gary Wade, Extension Horticulturist
University of Georgia
Funding by:
Chatham County Department of Public Works
Chatham County/MPC Water Conservation Program
Georgia Water Wise Council

The Resourceful Landscape at the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens demonstrates a variety of ways to save water and recycle resources in the landscape without sacrificing quality and beauty of the environment. The garden was designed using the principles of Xeriscape (pronounced Zerascape), a simple seven-step approach to developing a water-wise landscape. The beauty of Xeriscape is that it not only saves water but also saves time, energy and money.

This landscape also demonstrates the use of recycled wood mulch being produced bythe Chatham County Public Works Department from the woody brush left curbside by local citizens. This valuable resource not only plays a vital role in water conservation but also helps prevent weeds and erosion while adding nutrients back to the soil as it gradually decomposes.

Saving water and using recycled resources is everyone's responsibility.

So ...

"Make Every Drop Count!
Our Future Depends on it!"

7 Steps to a Water Wise/Resourceful LandscapeWater Wise/Resourceful Landscape

Step 1: Planning and Design. Divide the landscape into three water-use zones: high, moderate and low. High Water-use Zones are small, highly visible areas, such as the entrance to a home, where plants are irrigated as needed for optimum growth and beauty. Ideally, the high water-use zones should account for 10 percent or less of the total landscaped area. Moderate Water-use Zones are areas where plants are irrigated only on-demand -- when they show signs of stress. Ideally, 20 percent or less of the landscape should be moderate water-use zones. Low Water-use Zones would account for the largest area (50% or more) of the landscape, where plants are provided no supplemental irrigation once they are established.

[Fact: Established trees and shrubs can survive weeks without supplemental water.]

Step 2: Soil Analysis. Examine the physical and chemical makeup of hte soil and make changes as necessary to improve drainage or to enhance the water- and nutrient-holding ability of the soil. Four inches of compost, for instance, added to the soil surface and incorporated to a 12-inch depth, helps sandy, well-drained soils.

[Hint: 1 cubic yard of mulch (nine 3-cu.-ft. bags) per 100 square feet will provide 4 inches on the soil surface.]

Step 3: Appropriate Plant Selection. Any plant on the market can be used in a water-wise landscape -- provided it is placed in the appropriate water-use zone. Use drought tolerant and regionally adapted plants when possible. Select plants best adapted to the localized site.

[Fact: Plants don't save water -- People do!]

Step 4: Practical Turf Areas. Turfgrass typically accounts for the largest area of a landscape and receives the highest amount of supplemental irrigation. Use turfgrass for recreational areas, erosion control or as a welcome mat to the home, but minimize the amount of irrigated turfgrass. Some turfgrass varieties such as hybrid Bermudagrass will go dormant during drought and bounce back when rain returns.

Step 5. Efficient Irrigation. Adjust automated sprinkler systems weekly according to changes in rainfall patterns. Water between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. to minimize evaporative loss of water. Use drip tubing or ooze hoses on trees, shrubs and flowers in the high and moderate water-use zones. Use a hand-held hose with water breaker or sprinkling can to target your watering to those plants that need water, and water slowly to avoid run-off and water loss.

[Fact: More plants are killed in Georgia each year from over-watering than from the lack of water.]

Step 6: Use of Mulches. Fine-textured mulches such as shredded wood mulch or pinestraw hold moisture in the soil better than coarse-textured mulches. When planting new areas, consider placing moistened newspaper, two or three sheets thick, under mulch to help conserve moisture.

[Hint: 1 bale of pinestraw covers 50 square feet to a 3-inch depth. 1 cubic yard of mulch covers 100 square feet to a 3-inch depth.]

Step 7: Appropriate Maintenance. A water-wise landscape not only requires less water, it also requires less pruning and less fertilizer. Pruning and fertilizer promote new growth and increase the water demand of plants. One application of fertilizer prior to the growing season is sufficient for most established trees and shrubs. Prune shrubs only when necessary with thinning cuts, and avoid shearing. Grasscycling by allowing grass clippings to fall back on the turf helps hold moisture in the soil and recycles nutrients.

drawings not to scale
Water Use Zones

Resource List

For information on the availability of recycled wood mulch as well as recycling centers in Chatham County, contact the Chatham County Department of Public Works at 652-6871.

A 40-page publication entitled Xeriscape: A Guide to Developing a Water-Wise Landscape is available on the Worldwide Web at http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1073.htm

Water Source Books, curriculum guides and lessons for teachers grades K through 12, available in both CD and book formats, are available from the Georgia Water and Pollution Control Association, P.O. Box 6129, Marietta, GA 30065; Phone: 770/618-8690.

For information on landscape plants for coastal Georgia, composting, mulching, grasscycling and soil testing, contact your local county extension office:

Another Example of Partnership in Progress
Cooperative Extension Service/The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Gayle A. Buchanan, Dean and Director