By Jane Mosier, U. C. Master Gardene
Fresh water is becoming scarcer in the West. We have been in drought condition for the last few years, and our population is growing. Nevada's Lake Mead, which sends water all over the West, is down more than 100 feet. With normal rainfall, it will take years to refill it.
As more people move to California, we can expect to see water rationing. In that light, it would be wise to use plants in our gardens that require little water once established.
That approach doesn't limit you to cactus. Many other attractive plants have low water needs.
Before you dig up your water hogs and replace them, evaluate your soil. Many of our soils are heavy clay and need amending to make them suitable for water-wise plants. Check the soil all over your garden. Do you have spots that dry out slowly or places where the soil cracks and seems to drink water without ever getting watered all over? Notice how quickly the water drains after a watering or a rain.
Now take some soil samples from various parts of your garden, removing small plugs 8 to 12 inches deep. You want to know how the soil behaves when it's dry or almost dry. If it crumbles easily, you're lucky. If it cracks or you have to hammer it apart, you have heavy clay soil and need to amend it.
Adding amendments improves your soil, makes it drain better and allows the roots to grow deeper. Many water-wise plants will die without good drainage. If your soil is heavy and drains poorly, you may need to install drainage tile or pipe to drain excess water away from your property.
As you dig out the soil that needs amending, throw the dirt into a wheelbarrow or lay plastic beside the trench and deposit the soil on the plastic. Then you can mix the amendments into the dug-out soil before refilling the trench. Amendments for heavy soil include pea gravel, sand, peat moss, compost, well-rotted manure, seed hulls (available from mills or feed stores), cedar chips and even shredded newspaper as long as it is not colored.
Don't be stingy with the amendments, especially if your soil is heavy. Remember, you don't have to do the whole yard in one day. Just remember not to dig in wet soil or you will compact it.
Many gardening books now focus on water-wise plants. Visit bookstores and local nurseries, and check out the catalogs advertised in gardening magazines. The California Native Plant Society is another good source of information on plants that thrive with little or no water. You'll be surprised how many there are and how beautiful they are. And you can sit on the porch and enjoy them because you won't have to water nearly as much as you used to.
On June 19, Napa County Master Gardeners are holding a free public workshop on water-wise gardening at the American Canyon Recreation Center, 2185 Elliott Drive, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Call the Master Gardener office for more information.