With last summer being very dry locally, and this summer having the potential, I thought it appropriate to start a forum specifically for gardening with water conservation in mind. UBC Botanical Garden Water Use Policy (with links to Greater Vancouver Regional District Water Conservation Initiatives)
I would just like to get the ball rolling on this discussion, because I think it is very important. I live in the mountains in northern California, it is cold and wet in the winter and dry in the summer... This is similar to British Columbia, however, it does not rain enough to "stick" normally from mid-May until sometime in September... If you can grow anything in the summer without water it is truely adapted to these conditions. With that said there are an amazing number of beautiful plants, trees, etc. that will grow and even thrive in these conditions. A few points to consider that will help in trying to figure out what will grow with little or no water. Has it been described as a "weed", agressive or invasive? Has it been described as drought tolerant? Can you grow it from seed? How much water do you mean by little? Or none? Is it a culinary herb? For the first point, this is a good indication that you are dealing with a plant that can withstand a variety of conditions, including drought...which is the second point. Often we are directed to water regularly until the plants are established, however if the plants are started in the ground where they are to grow from seed just before the wet season starts there is no need for this period of adaptation. Lastly, I actually have plants that are unhappy if I water them at all in the summer (would you believe tulips?--that is a subject for another posting though). The point being to consider whether you intend to water at all, because this will help determine the scope of your search. I have found an excellent place for searching plants (California natives mostly) based on their cultural requirements. (www.laspilitas.com/) Also, check out the California Native Plant Society at www.cnps.org/index.htm (I am in the Redbud Chapter area, their website is www.nccn.net/~cnps) Have fun, raichael
Just a quick note in regards to threads in this forum: When gardening in dry conditions I think it does matter for us to know as to what if any water will be applied to the plants. Are we talking about no added water what we, in familiar terms, call dry land farming in which all of the water needs are supplied by natural rainfall. Or are we planning to add some water in very limited quantities to our plants by way of hose watering, sprinklers or drip irrigation. Where my cabin is there are water restrictions that have been imposed for several years now, not only to conserve water but to allow for ample water when needed in case of conflagration. We have almost the same type water restrictions, even at the misses home whereby we can only water our lawns, plants, trees on specific days of the week. The only real difference in the two areas, vastly different zonal areas, one is a Zone 1A and the other a Zone 8 by Western Garden Book standards (I never have used USDA zone standards as a Zone 8 in Georgia is really not close other than low temps to being the same as a Zone 8 is in California for growing conditions), is that the yard watering in the mountainous community is restricted to two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening as opposed to the Valley floor which currently is designated as being all day watering on specific days (odd versus even days) of the week only. I can water in both locations on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only for example. With drought conditions or imposed water restrictions it becomes imperative that we know the water needs of the plants we wish to grow and how we plan on watering them. Jim
The Native Plant Society of B.C. http://www.npsbc.org/ is a good resource for native plants that are adapted to our local climate and, therefore, survive without watering (assuming they're planted in appropriate conditions).
