WaterWise Gardening
WaterWise Gardening is a style of gardening that
uses little or no water in a landscape, resulting in financial and natural
resource savings. Oregon WaterWise Gardening is a statewide program of OSU
Extension to assist homeowners in designing and planting water efficient
gardens. Nationwide, irrigating landscapes uses about 1/3 of our water supply.
This water is not available for drinking, for wildlife, or for agriculture. On this page you can find plant lists, plant profiles, photographs, case studies and
links that provide information about reasons to save water, but also many
practical examples and tips. WaterWise gardens rely heavily on plant choices
from nearby native areas, from US prairie plants, and for milder climates,
plants from Mediterranean areas of the world. As with all gardens, appropriate
irrigation and soil preparation are also important.
Members of the statewide team are Linda McMahan
(McMinnville), Amy Jo Detweiler (Redmond), Neil Bell(Salem), Chip Bubl (St.
Helens), Gail Langellotto (Corvallis), Weston Miller (Oregon City), Steve
Renquist (Roseburg) and Robert Emanuel (Tillamook).
Some of the resources provided through these
individuals are demonstration gardens, Xeriscaping for the High Desert, Native
Plants Recommended for the High Desert and Growing Native Plants West of the
Cascades.
PUBLICATIONS
SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE CHECKLIST for homeowners (currently, certificates available only in Douglas County)
PLANT PROFILES OF SOME WATERWISE PLANTS
