With over half the continental US experiencing drought conditions, ensuring that your summer garden isn’t contributing to water shortages has become increasingly important. No stranger to water restrictions, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department provides some simple suggestions that can go a long way to saving both your garden and water resources.

The Department encourages gardeners to “go native” — use plants and flowers that are native to your region and will be more suited to natural conditions. The Native Plant Information Network’s Recommended Species website provides an interactive map to help determine which plants are native to your area.

Other suggestions include for landscaping responsibly include:
- Watering lawns and gardens in the morning or evening to prevent evaporation.
- Regularly maintaining automatic sprinklers to prevent overwatering, including the installation of rain shut-off devices.
- Using drip irrigation systems.
- Collecting rain in rain barrels to water gardens.
- Mulching to retain water and reduce run-off.

Has the hot summer weather affected your gardening habits this year? Have you made landscaping choices to take water efficiency into account? Let us know about it!