OVERVIEW

Creating your own Prairie Urban Garden showcases the beauty of southern Albertan native flowers, creates habitat, results in a low-maintenance yard, and saves water!

Xeriscaping is a landscaping method for arid and semi-arid climates that uses water-conserving techniques, mulch, and efficient irrigation. By planting native and drought-tolerant varieties that naturally thrive in the dry prairie environment, you use less water and little to no pesticides or fertilizers, compared to a traditional lawn. That helps protect water quality! You can enjoy a beautiful yard, complete with gorgeous blooms, save on your monthly water bill, and, do very little maintenance on it.

Say goodbye to lawn mowing! We have all you need to know to get started.

A Xeriscape™ is a yard or garden that follows certain principles of being practical and environmentally friendly. Xeriscaping is not the same as zero-scaping and does not focus on rocks, stone, and gravel but on the following seven principles:

1 ) Planning & Design

Sketch your yard, including decks, trees, and sheds
Zone each area by activity or purpose
Colour code areas by sunlight, precipitation, and water needs.

2) Improve the Soil

Add 2 or more inches of organic matter like compost or aged manure and mix to a 6-inch depth.

3) Create Practical Lawn Areas

Limit your lawn area to only what you need and where it will provide a function.
Choose grass seed mixes that have low water requirements.
Where lawn is hard to grow or maintain, substitute with other ground covers. Consider replacing some of the lawn with areas of drought tolerant groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, a path, a bench, or a sculpture.

4) Water Efficiently

Group plants by water needs and zone lawn areas separately as they use the most water. Lawns require 1 inch per week (2.5cm). Use a timer or gauge (a tuna can works well) to make sure you do not overwater.
Use irrigation systems that place water directly in the ground, like drip systems or soaker hoses.
Avoid sprinklers that shoot water high into the air, produce a fine mist, or oscillate, as these lose water to evaporation.
Watering in the early morning is best because it is cooler and allows leaves to dry off during the day. In the heat of the afternoon, you lose a lot of water to evaporation, and less gets absorbed by your plants.
Use rain barrels and water less when it rains.

5) Select Appropriate Plants & Group by Water Needs

Choose low water use plants and group them by water needs. If you decide you need high-water use plants, place them in low-lying areas that will naturally receive drainage and are convenient for irrigation.
Because there are a large number of plants that do well in our climate, you can select plants based on structure, colour, texture, or fragrance. Plants that are native to the prairies are a great choice because they are accustomed to the dry climate and naturally require less water.

6) Use Mulch to Reduce Evaporation

Mulches reduce evaporation, cool the root zone, reduce weed growth, slow erosion, and look great too.
Wood chips and shredded bark feed the soil with organic matter.
Mulch all parts of the landscape except the lawn.

7) Maintain your Xeriscape

Prune dead or diseased branches anytime. Most other pruning can be done in winter or early spring.
Remove spent flowers throughout the summer before they mature into seed heads.
Aerate lawns in spring and mow regularly to a height of 3 inches. Grass clippings left on the lawn are a good source of nutrients. And it saves you from bagging your clippings!
Fertilize according to plant needs. More is not better.
Control unwanted plants by digging them out or applying herbicides to targeted weeds only when necessary. Do not use products that combine fertilizer and herbicide.

Xeriscape™ is a registered trademark belonging to the National Xeriscape Council, Inc.

REASONS FOR XERISCAPING

Too much of a good thing: Nutrients

Nutrients from fertilizers are one of the biggest problems in the rivers and reservoirs in the Oldman watershed. Runoff from our lawns and farms carries with it nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that cause algae and aquatic plants to grow. If there are too many nutrients, and therefore too much growth, we see algal blooms that carry with them bacteria harmful to human health, and beaches must be closed. All this plant growth also uses up oxygen in the water which will kill fish if oxygen levels get too low. You have likely seen unsightly and stinky ponds where there is a lot of plant and algae growth. Prairie Urban Gardens help because native plants do not require chemical fertilizers, using natural manure or compost when and if required. Start making a difference today!

Water Conservation

Southern Alberta's climate is dry and drought is common. Because we live in a naturally dry, grassland environment we need to manage our water carefully to ensure there is enough for the river and the plants, trees, and animals that depend on the river as well as for human needs.

In summer, the highest use of treated water in cities and towns is for watering lawns. The draw on water increases by 50% in summer due to lawn watering alone. Prairie Urban Gardens can help change this because once they are established, they require little to no water. In fact, over watering will harm them. Taking small steps like using rain barrels and watering your lawn only 1 inch per week will also help reduce the amount of treated water being used for lawns.

Pesticides

Early pesticides were mixtures of toxic compounds such as arsenic, mercury, copper, nicotine, and sulfur. A common misconception is that storm drains (aka storm sewers) and sanitation sewers are part of the same underground pipe system that is treated at the wastewater treatment plant. This is actually not the case, storm drains transport water runoff from lawns, gardens, and roadways directly into the river—untreated. It is up to you to help keep your storm drain clear!

Pesticides are chemicals used to kill insects, vegetation, fungi, or rodents. Herbicides (a type of pesticide) only kill vegetation. If you need to use a pesticide, make sure you carefully read and follow the package instructions. Using more than needed or using it more often is not healthy for you, your lawn, or the Oldman River. There are plenty of natural ways to get rid of weeds in your yard.

Manicured, green lawns are a common sight in urban communities and the use of pesticides to keep those lawns pristine and weed-free can be just as common. According to a survey conducted by the Oldman Watershed Council’s Urban Team 'The River Starts Here: Lethbridge Stormwater Education Program Design and Evaluation Report', 67% of respondents use a weed-and-feed type product. To reduce the amount of pesticides you use, please avoid these products. “Weed-and-feed” lawn care products contain both herbicides and fertilizers. Many contain more herbicide than is required. It is better for water quality and human health to spot-spray individual weeds with a herbicide or, better yet, to pull weeds out by hand. A spot of vinegar in boiling water can also help. You can also help keep your lawn weed-free by keeping your grass at least 5 cm (2 inches) long and over-seeding the lawn where it is bald or patchy. These areas are where weeds can grow easily.

Excess pesticides from fields, lawns, and gardens can be washed into the street by rain or routine watering, which then runs into a storm drain, directly into a body of water. Water from our gutters empties straight into the Oldman River. Pesticides can also get into local water bodies by way of aquatic application, spills, and even the wind. This can result in a decline in water quality.

With growing concerns over the effects of pesticides on water quality and human health, over 100 communities across Canada have restricted the non-essential use of toxic lawn and garden chemicals including pesticides. The provinces of Quebec and Ontario have even gone as far as to announce a ban on pesticide use.

Fertilizers are used to increase or speed up plant growth by providing extra food for the plants. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the nutrients found in all fertilizers, including organic fertilizers such as compost and mulch. Nitrogen and phosphorous are also found in leaves, grass, and branches. To help improve stormwater quality, use organic fertilizers such as compost and mulch instead of chemical or inorganic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers release the nutrients slowly over time and are less likely to affect stormwater. The easiest thing to do is leave your grass clippings on the lawn. They act like a mulch and disappear in just a few days. In the fall, rake up the leaves from your yard and put them in a backyard compost bin (available from the City of Lethbridge and local hardware and garden stores). You can then use the resulting compost on your lawn and garden next year!

Native Plant Species in the Oldman Basin

A native plant is one that occurs naturally in a particular region. Most native plants have been in the same area for centuries or longer. In the Oldman River watershed, this means that the native plants are adapted to the environmental conditions including the dry weather that we normally observe. Because of this adaptation to the local environment, they require little to no watering and fewer chemical inputs like pesticides and fertilizers. This gives the native plants an edge to thrive when others don’t and allows us to have a beautiful yard while putting little effort and cost into maintaining it.

The Oldman Watershed Council hired a local plant expert to come up with the top 10 best plants for Southern Alberta in 5 categories (perennial flowers, trees, shrubs, grasses, and groundcovers). The criteria used for plant selection were: high tolerance to drought, available to purchase at local shops, native to the local area, low maintenance, and visually appealling. Every plant may not meet these criteria perfectly but overall is a good choice for your yard. Download the booklet and see more detailed information below.