Everyday the issue of climate change and global warming is being discussed and debated. There has been a call for all of us to do our part of the environment in whatever way we can. There are more ways than just recycling to do your bit for the environment. One way to help the Earth and save a few dollars is to employ water conservation in your gardening. Water conservation in gardening may actually benefit your garden and you may find your plants are healthier after using water conservation in your gardening.

How to Conserve Water

When planning your garden the first thing to take into consideration when applying water conservation to gardening is the choice of plants. Choose plants that do well in an environment that needs very little water to survive. This translates to less watering and you will have a garden that needs less maintenance than if you were to choose plants that are delicate and in need of a lot of water.

You won't have to restrict yourself to growing cactus, there are plenty of beautiful plants that do well with little water. California poppies, juniper, lavender and moss roses are just some of the plants you can grow without a lot of watering. Pines and other evergreen trees are also good plants to have when water conservation in gardening is being practiced, they are well adapted to surviving long winters without moisture. You may also want to use plants that are indigenous to your area, local plants are better adapted to the weather conditions in your area and may need less water than non native plants.

Using watering systems that are efficient is the most important step towards water conservation in gardening. Forget going from plant to plant with a watering can or spraying everything with a hose. When you water plants that way most of the water gets onto the leaves and branches when the water really needs to go to the soil.

Use a trickles or drip irrigation system to maintain optimum levels of water in the soil and prevent water wastage. Irrigation systems don't have to be complicated, a soaker hose is one of the simplest methods of installing an irrigation system. A soaker hose is laid out around your plants and connected to an outdoor tap and you're done. A more complicated slotted hose system can also be used, although not as simple as the previous irrigation system, you can still do it yourself.