Xeriscaping Importance and Water Conservation, Coastal Landscape Design

Xeriscaping is the practice of landscape design focused on the form of water conservation function using native or water conserving plants.

Florida Hurricane Landscape - Coastal Xeriscape plan.  One year post planting. No irrigation required.

Native plants are particularly useful in successful xeriscape design.

Irrigation is used primarily to assist during the initial period of the landscape plants establishing their roots and adapting to their new environment.

A successful mature xeriscape design should have either no added irrigation or at the most, very limited irrigation - such as micro-drip, for long term survival.

Regardless, xeriscaping design can be a challenge.

Coastal xeriscaping can present even greater challenges because of the added salt spray variable.

Here is an example of a successful coastal xeriscape project completed on Live Oak Island, Florida.

The first photo below is of the site after a tropical storm, debris littered across the water-front yard.

Hurricane damage, Site was cleaned and replanted with a xeriscape design

The second photo below is a snapshot of the new xeriscape landscape installed and mulched.

Xeriscaping, Initial planting installed only with temporary irrigation

Finally the very first photo above is of the landscape one year subsequent to the initial xeriscape plantings.

The plants include; Yucca filaamentosa (Adam's needle), Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), Cabbage/Sabal palms and including Florida Friendly plants such as; agave, rosemary and more.

For more about coastal landscape and salt tolerant design, check out Kevin's Designing Coastal Green Roofs video here.

Xeriscaping. Drip Irrigation DIY for Growing Locations Without Running Water

Not all locations have running water available for drip irrigation of food crops and other cash plants.

Urban Green and Permaculture sometimes requires irrigation where water supplies do not exist. DIY Drip irrigation can provide water efficient irrigation and nutrient systems and can be constructed from readily obtainable, even recycled materials.  Here a drip systems is made from a 5 gallon bucket, tubing and bamboo.

Here is an awesome DIY idea for an easy to construct yet very effective drip irrigation system.

If you are ever in the vicinity of Fort Myers be sure to stop by and visit ECHO Global Farm for permaculture support systems like this they refer to as 'appropriate technologies'.

With this portable and inexpensive but highly effective drip irrigation system a five gallon bucket is used as a water tower or water storage unit.  The five gallon bucket is covered with a filter cloth to keep leaves and debris out of the collected water (rainwater or added water) and hung from a bamboo stand..

Attached to the bottom of the bucket is a drip irrigation hose placed through the bucket wall in a drilled out hole, caulked around the edges.

The irrigation hose is woven through the planted crops needing irrigation, staked into the ground and fitted with drip nozzles.

Water conservation is an important part of sustainable agriculture.

Drip irrigation and water supply systems don't have to be expensive or complicated.  With a little creativity one can incorporate simple, appropriate technology growing systems into their permaculture project, green roof or urban farm.