Water is essential to the health, as well as the aesthetics, of your landscape. It hydrates grasses and plants while simultaneously transporting nutrients to them. All grasses and plants need water. While they can get some water from the air, it's usually not enough for a healthy landscape. By following some basic water conservation tips, however, you can protect your landscape from the effects of dehydration.

Water During the Morning
If you're going to water your landscape, consider doing it early in the morning. Most people water their landscapes during the midday hours when the sun is out. Unfortunately, this leads to evaporation. If you water your landscape during the middle of the day, less water will soak into the soil. To conserve water, consider watering your landscape during the early morning hours, preferably before 10:00 a.m.

Choose Drought-Resistant Plants
When planning your landscape, choose drought-resistant plants. While all plants need water to survive, some of them need less water than others. These drought-resistant plants can tolerate dry spells more easily than their counterparts. In turn, you won't have to use as much water to keep them alive and healthy.

Examples of drought-resistant plants that are native to Florida include the following:

• Buttonwood
• Aloe
• Bush Daisy
• Spider Lily
• Lavender
• Butterfly Milkweed
• Rosemary
• Spiderwort
• Yellow Pine
• Bluestream Palmetto

Add a Rain Barrel
Another way to conserve water in your landscape is to add a rain barrel. A rain barrel is a rainwater harvesting system. As the name suggests, it consists of barrel that collects rainwater. Rather than using your home's water supply, you can use rainwater to water your landscape.

Some states prohibit or restrict the use of rainwater harvesting systems. Florida, however, isn't one of them. You can add a rain barrel to your landscape to conserve water.

Use Mulch
Mulch can help you conserve water in your landscape. When added around plants, it will provide them with additional water. Mulch will absorb and retain water. It will then release some of this water gradually to nearby plants.

Mow Higher
The height at which you mow your landscape will affect its water requirements. Avoid using the lowest blade setting on your lawnmower. Instead, raise the blade to a medium-height setting. Mowing your landscape higher will result in longer blades of grass that are able to retain more water.

This article was brought to you by Palmetto Coastal. For more articles, tips and news for your commercial landscaping and maintenance needs, please visit us at our website.