Backyard Habitat
Be Smart with Water
The Pacific Northwest has unique challenges when it comes to water. In the winter, we need to manage enormous amounts of rainfall and storm runoff. In the summer, our rainfall drops off sharply, our reservoirs are low, and our demand for water is high. There are many ways you can be smart with water in your backyard habitat that can help with those challenges we all face.
Why Be Smart with Water?
- Save money: Water rates are highest in the summer; smart watering can save you cash!
- Save time: Being smart with water streamlines your maintenance schedule in the garden.
- Water for wildlife: Saving water in our yards leaves more water available for fish and other wildlife.
How to Be Smart with Water
- Water deeply, but infrequently: Allowing soil to dry out between waterings encourages deeper root growth. On average, lawns need no more than one inch of water a week. Saving Water Partnership’s Watering page has information on watering to establish new plants as well as a smart watering guide.
- Manage your lawn: Aerating your lawn and leaving the mowing clippings (mulch or “grasscycling”) can save you time and water. Saving Water Partnership’s Managing Your Lawn page has detailed information about these and other water-saving tips.
- More mulch: Mulch your planting beds to hold water in your soil.
- Right plant, right place: Choose the right plants for your site and group plants with the same sun and water needs. Saving Water Partnership’s Choosing Garden Plants page has a great plant list and How To section that can help you get started.
- Irrigate efficiently: Use Smart Water Partnership’s Irrigation and Sprinkler System Tips page to avoid wasteful automatic watering systems.
- Install a rain garden: A rain garden uses water-tolerant plants to absorb the rainwater from the impervious surfaces around your home (including your roof), filters contaminants from the water, and allows the water to slowly soak into the ground. Rain gardens can greatly reduce your yard’s contribution to stormwater runoff and pollution. For detailed information on making a rain garden, check out Stewardship Partner’s Rain Gardens in the Pacific Northwest page.
- Collect rain: A rain barrel collects rainwater during wet months for use in your garden during dry months. You can collect a substantial amount of rainwater with a simple system. For more information on making a rain barrel or rain barrel sources in Washington, consult King County’s Rain Barrel information and sources page.
Next up: Pets and Your Backyard Habitat
