Water is a precious resource—especially in drought-prone areas—so embracing water-saving gardening not only trims your utility bills, it strengthens your landscape and supports sustainability. Here’s how to save water efficiently, whether you're in the Carolina's or California, with techniques that work everywhere, plus climate-adjusted tips by region.
Water Saving Tips for Everyone
1. Water Early
Avoid midday heat, and the evaporation and plant stress that comes with it. Your plants want to hydrate in preparation for a long, hot day ahead, and will benefit most from morning watering. If mornings don't suit your schedule, you could try using a timer for sprinklers or drip irrigation.
2. Deep, Infrequent Watering
Consistent daily watering feels like a good choice, but most plant roots will grow deeper and stronger with a deep watering a couple of times each week instead.
3. Mulch & Ground Covers
Covering soil with wood chips or compost reduces evaporation, helps to regulate soil temperature, and also adds some additional organic matter to keep your soil healthy.
4. Group by Watering Needs
Keep your cacti and tomatoes apart - you'll be able to care for your plants well and avoid overwatering by creating hydrozones of plants with similar watering needs.
5. Use Efficient Irrigation
There plenty of options available to water our gardens, and the right systems for you will depend on your garden layout and watering needs. Generally speaking, drip irrigation and soaker hoses are fantastic for delivering water only where you need it - though be sure to check your system for leaks at least once a season to ensure you aren't losing water unnecessarily.
6. Let Rain Do the Hard Work
Use a rain barrel to collect precipitation so you can put it to work later rather than tapping into your local water supply. Be sure to check any local restrictions before installing.
💧 Regional Tips for Water-Smart Gardening
Northeast
Mow grass higher - offering some additional shade for your soil and reducing evaporation during summer.
Southeast
Skip irrigation after rain - use smart controllers or rain shut-off sensors to avoid overwatering. For lawns, select a heat-tough turf species to enjoy some lush green coverage with minimal water needs.
Midwest
Improve heavy clay soils with compost to improve drainage and water retention, and water deeply once a week to develop strong roots and resilience against the summer droughts.
PNW
Landscape with native plants to minimize any water needed in addition to local rainfall, and collect greywater for use in any non-edible garden zones.
Southwest
Adopt xeriscaping to drastically reduce the amount of water needed by focusing instead on a gravel base with succulents and cacti. Transforming your lawn to a xeriscape offers a lower maintenance, lower long term cost and lower water consuming option.
Tips to saving water without sacrificing your garden’s health
One of the key components in enabling our garden to flourish is water! But with outdoor watering the biggest reason for water consumption, in some areas making up 60% of overall water consumption. It is clear that if we can find ways to reduce the amount of water we use in our gardens and outdoor areas it will have a big impact. Thankfully, there are ways we can be saving water while still giving
Leak proof your hose & fittings
According to the Pink Plumber leaky garden hose or irrigation system can waste up to 30,000 gallons of water a month which is roughly twice as much as a leaky toilet and 3 times as much as a dripping faucet. Making your hose fittings leak proof will automatically save you water without even having to reduce your outdoor watering consumption as every drop of water is going straight to where it is supposed to!
Hoselink’s Hose fittings and connectors are guaranteed to never burst or leak! Built tough for all weather conditions the innovative design includes Hose Connectors with Flow Control that screw easily on to the end of your hose and allows you to shut the water off from the spay end without needing to return to the faucet. So, stop your hose leaking today and grab a new set of Hoselink’s hose fittings.
Be smart about how you water
There are so many options when it comes to watering your garden, from spray nozzle hose attachments to sprinklers to soaker hoses. With each watering solution it is important to assess what type of garden you have, so you can choose the most efficient option. When watering you want to avoid any water flowing onto paved areas where it will just run into storm water or evaporate.
Hoselink's Root waterer and soil breaker is the perfect option for trees & shrubs as well as pot plants. It delivers water directly to the roots of the plant underground, so you avoid wasting water through evaporation and ensure water is delivered directly to the roots.
Hoselink’s weeper hose is a product that has been specifically designed to water garden beds effectively and reduce water waste by slowly weeping water directly into the soil near plant roots.
Grow a garden with plants native to your area
Swap out your grass for native plants! Native plants are those that occur naturally in the region they evolved. These plants are resilient to the weather conditions that occur within your state or region. You will find that they flourish without much attention and require less water. They have existed for 100’s and 100’s of years in the natural environment around you.
In addition to being a great low maintenance and low water option for a beautiful garden, by planting a native garden you are providing habitat for birds and other types of wildlife that are essential for the biodiversity of the land where much of our food it grown.
