With extreme heat hitting the US this summer and our backyards in desperate need of some extra hydration, thinking of ways to be water-wise has never been more important. One of the most innovative ways gardeners are making watering less hassle and less wasteful is by hydrozoning.
This design trick helps reduce water waste in the yard by grouping plants with the same watering needs together. As a result, you don't end up accidentally chucking a load of water on a plant that actually prefers drier soil. Instead, certain zones of your garden will need watering more frequently, while other zones will be more drought-tolerant, reducing unnecessary watering.
Paired with an automatic drip irrigation system (like this kit from Amazon), this makes watering your plants super low-maintenance. So, if you're sick of juggling lots of different watering needs in one garden border, here's why hydrozoning might work for you.
What is Hydrozoning?
'Hydrozoning is actually a pretty simple way to organize a garden. You just group plants together by the amount of water they need,' says Lindsey Chastain, homesteader and founder at The Waddle and Cluck.
If you're deciding on a new garden layout, hydrozoning is one of the best garden water-saving ideas to choose.
'Many problems in our gardens begin with improper watering that causes stress to the plants. If you add plants that are water-needy with plants that do fine with less water, one group of those plants will not be happy and become stressed,' explains Gail Pabst, gardening expert and Marketing Director for the National Garden Bureau.
'When a plant is stressed it becomes more susceptible to pests, weather, stunted growth, and more,' she explains.
Ultimately, by grouping plants with the same needs together in one bed, border, or even in a container garden, you reduce the likelihood of watering mistakes being made.
In turn, as Gail explains, this can ward off garden pests and disease like powdery mildew which is worsened by excessive moisture.
Hydrozoning also allows you to work more carefully with the light exposure in your yard. For example, you could position your drought-tolerant planting in a sun-soaked patch and your moisture-loving shade plants underneath a tree canopy.
'It saves on the water bill and makes setting up soaker hoses on timers even easier to figure out,' Lindsey notes.
With a soaker hose (like this from Walmart) or a drip irrigation system (like this kit from Amazon), you can be assured that no plants in one hydrozone are being overwatered. As Lindsey notes, it takes a lot of guesswork out of setting up timers.
'The goal is that a plant that likes to dry out won't get overwatered for being near a plant that likes to stay a little wet, and vice versa,' she says.
How to Hydrozone Your Yard
'To do this correctly, you will need to know the water needs of the plants,' says Gail.
'In existing gardens, check the water needs so you can determine how much water the irrigation line will deliver to that area. When you add a new plant to the line, research if it will be a water match to the existing plants.
'If there's a plant that is totally out of place because of their water needs, you might want to relocate it to a spot where other plants have the same water needs,' she advises.
It can help to make a drawing of your garden, labelling different areas with how much water they need and working through which plants belong where accordingly.
'Once thing I caution gardeners about is also making sure that the plants you group together like the same soil type,' Lindsey notes.
'While most plants like well-draining soil, their pH preference varies a lot. If you don't group like-minded soil plants together, you will run into issues when fertilizing,' she explains.
In this sense, you can take zoning beyond watering needs. Consider groups of plants that need the same light and nutrients, too. This is where companion planting can be handy to use.
'I tell my clients you really don't need any fancy irrigation system to hydrozone. It's just about simple logistics,' says landscape designer Gerardo Loayza.
'Plant your high-water plants right next to the patio or the water spigot so you don't have to drag the heavy hose super far. Plant the super-low-water plants as far away as possible so that you don't necessarily have to do anything crazy in order to reach them,' he explains.
Gerardo also notes the importance of a buffer zone.
'We really can't put low-water desert plants next to a swamp zone, because water bleeds through the soil underground. You want to create a transition zone from high water to low water, and moderate water in between, so that the soil moisture slowly tapers off,' he explains.
What to Shop
This rain barrel catches up to 50 gallons of rainwater at a time to use in the garden. It has a tap to dispense water easily.
This hummingbird rain chain turns your downspout into a water feature. It directs rainwater into a vessel at the bottom for use in the yard.
This 50ft soaker hose waters roots directly by releasing water through its porous material. Simply lay it in your beds and borders and turn on your faucet.
Hydrozoning will make your garden more low-maintenance to water, but you still need to be on top of things like when to water your garden and how to water plants in hot weather to keep your garden sufficiently hydrated.
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