Peonies in a landscape that should be low water? That’s blasphemy! No it’s not. You can be water wise and still enjoy plants that need regular watering. It is all a matter of how you design and manage your landscape.

To get tips on what makes a good water efficient landscape, come Saturday, June 3 from 9-11am, to “Putting Together a Water Wise Landscape”. This free program will be presented by Cado Daily from the UA Water Wise program and will be held at the Arizona Folklore Preserve on Ramsey Canyon road 3.5 miles off of Hwy 92 in Sierra Vista.

The presentation will cover the seven basic principles of Xeriscape (pronounced Zir-i-scape). Cado likes to point out that there isn’t a “zero” in Xeriscape. Although this low water landscape design promotes water thrifty plants, it also allows for high water plants if desired.

One of the basic foundations of Xeriscape is to plan well and have a good design. At this time of year when the weather is hot and dry, planning rather than planting is a good garden activity. To start, get a pad of paper and go sit in the shade overlooking your yard.

There are several things you want to do before you begin your design. The first one is to assess your site. If you can live with your yard for a year before making any major landscape decisions, it will help you learn more about how the climate affects it. Where are the wet spots? Where are the windy ones? The hot ones? What are the microclimates? Try and learn as much as you can about your site before you design and plant.

Next, make a “wish list”. What features do you want? Have anything you want to hide? How do the kids or grandkids use the yard? Do you like to entertain and cook outside? How about a place to sit and watch the stars while in the glow of a chiminea? Ask yourself and your family as many questions as you can think of to help you decide what is needed in your landscape design.

When you know how you are going to use your yard, you can identify what areas you will use, and what areas to leave for the wildlife to enjoy. Managing a large yard can consume time and money. Try and size your yard into functional areas or “hydrozones”.

The functional area immediately around your house is called the “mini-oasis”. This higher water use “hydrozone” is where you would have the peonies and other plants that may need regular care and water. By being a relatively lush area, it would help shade and cool your home. Use rainwater from the roof to help water plants. If you made it into a courtyard with a small wall, it would be an easy space to manage and the wall would keep hungry critters from destroying your plants. This is also an area where gray water could be used to regularly water a shade tree.

Outside of the “mini oasis” is the “transition zone”. The plants in this lower water use hydrozone would need supplemental water every 2-3 weeks at the most. Here you would incorporate water harvesting techniques to help capture some extra rain around more desert adapted trees and shrubs. An irrigation system could be installed in this area, but it would be on a different valve than the irrigation for the mini-oasis zone. You don’t want to over water plants in the transition zone while watering the mini-oasis plants.

Out in the “desert zone”, you would plant agaves, cacti, yuccas and other succulents. These plants need to survive on their own. Choosing local native plants and plants adapted to thrive in this semi-arid environment are your best bet for planting in this zone. If you are building a home, ask the contractor to clear as small a space as possible so excessive vegetation is not disturbed. Rain catching dips around the drip line of plants would also be constructed here.

Designing your own water wise landscape can be fun and satisfying. By incorporating some simple techniques, you can have a yard whose biggest demand is to enjoy it.

For more information on water conservation and to access the Water Wise Hot-Line, call 364-4146. Water Wise literature is also available at the city library and on the website www.ag.arizona.edu/cochise/waterwise. The Douglas Water Wise program is conducted in partnership with Cochise County.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, in its programs and activities.

By Cado Daily/Water Wise Program Coordinator, UA Cochise County Cooperative Extension