Using mulch to conserve water in your garden

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Here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, we do everything to conserve water. Water is precious in the desert, and besides, it costs money, and I grew up in Minnesota where I learned to be frugal.

So, when I started my garden here over twenty years ago, the first thing I read up on was "Xeriscape" - which just means having a landscape that is the most water-efficient it can be. A true Xeriscape garden isn't just a bunch of rocks, would just makes your backyard even hotter, it's a small place of shade, with a few plants that give the feeling of an oasis. And one of the most important tricks is: mulch.

Mulch is anything that protects the soil from drying out. It can be chips of bark, stuff you get in bags at Home Depot, or if you're lucky and have a tree that sheds, like mine, leaf litter.


This is what I do - I get a bag and fill it up with mulch. A lot of it accumulates up front in the courtyard. Then I sprinkle it around the base of my plants, and water it in. This is only one of a whole bag of tricks (pardon the pun) that I use to create my illusion of paradise here in the thirsty desert!

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