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As the weather changes in November, Arizonans get out and enjoy the cooler temperatures. Why not take advantage of the weather and give container gardening a try this season? We have some great suggestions about how to select a plant, choose a pot, get the best soil, and water your plants appropriately. Add color to your patios or out in your landscape.

Check out our Water – Use It Wisely “Landscape Care” page for details not only on container gardening, but we also offer information on how to plant, how to program your timer, how to Xeriscape and more! Visit our “Landscape Care” page for knowledge that’ll make you water-wise!

The fall planting season has arrived! Temperatures are cooler, and it’s a great time to renovate your landscape or replace plants you may have lost during the hot, dry summer.

Desert Willow Trees are native to the Sonoran Desert.

There are hundreds of beautiful desert plants to choose from but one of the biggest challenges of purchasing desert plants (especially since many are Sonoran Desert natives) is that some don’t look great in the pot at the nursery. You really have to have faith and know that the wispy stems in the container will be like the ‘ugly duckling that turns into a swan’ once planted in your landscape.

That’s why we suggest visiting a Xeriscape Demonstration Garden for plant selection ideas. It’s amazing how different plants look when they’re established in the landscape. Best of all, demonstration gardens give you a good idea of how large a plant can get so that you’re sure to put the right plant in the right place. You’ll also find design ideas and great examples of plant combinations.

Brand new xeriscape demonstration garden in Paradise Valley

One of our Water – Use It Wisely Partners, Arizona American Water, is pleased to showcase a new Xeriscape Demonstration Garden in Paradise Valley located at 6229 N. Mockingbird Lane. The Company planned the garden with neighbors, town council members, and Master Gardeners and turned an unused site into a fabulous demonstration for low-water use plants, Xeriscape principals and how to save water and money.

Arizona American Water is one of fifteen Water – Use It Wisely regional partners and many of them sponsor beautiful demonstration gardens. Get inspired. Find a Xeriscape Demonstration Garden near you!

Did you know that up to 70% of your water use is outdoors?

Water – Use It Wisely is being featured on Arizona’s local Channel 3′s Your Life A to Z with some easy and practical ways to save water. Arizona Regional Campaign Water Partner, the City of Mesa, sent their Conservation Specialist, Donna DiFrancesco, to be interviewed by Lisa Haffner on this special segment on outdoor water use.

Check out the video on our YouTube Channel here:

For more information about landscape care and to see our landscape guides, please click here.

Next week’s segment: Take The Home Water Challenge and Find Those Sneaky Leaks. Stay tuned!

This Fall, Water – Use It Wisely is being featured on Arizona’s local Channel 3′s Your Life A to Z with some easy and practical ways to save water. Last Wednesday (09/28) our Arizona Regional Campaign Water Partner, the City of Scottsdale, sent their Water Conservation Specialist, Elisa Klein, to be interviewed by Lisa Haffner. They discussed the water and cost saving advantages of not overseeding your lawn in preparation for the cooler months.

Check out the video on our YouTube Channel here:

For more information about overseeding, read our blog post on the topic here.

Next week’s segment: Reduce Your Outdoor Water Use. Stay tuned!

Over half of household water – in some cases up to 70% is used outdoors. That means saving water in your landscape is one of the best and easiest ways to reduce your outdoor water use. We’ve got three great resources to make you the top water miser in the neighborhood:

Photos and plant charts help you with plant selection.

1. Xeriscape is defined as water efficient, creative landscaping that guides you with seven landscape principles to create a beautiful, healthy and water efficient yard. And, no! It’s not just rocks and cactus. Details can be found in Xeriscape: Landscaping with Style in the Arizona Desert.
2. Use Water Thrifty Plants like the bold, armored agaves or like the fragrant-flowered acacias. There are hundreds of beautiful low-water-use plants that are available for our region of the Sonoran Desert. Learn more from Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert.
3. Water Efficiently to reduce your water use by 30-50%. If you’ve used the Xeriscape principles and planted low-water-use plants, it’s even more important to make sure you are watering properly. It is very common by residents and even commercial landscapers to over water desert landscapes. Check out our Landscape Watering by the Numbers: A Guide for the Arizona Desert.

Proper watering techniques are provided for all types of Arizona landscapes.

These resources are all available online, but free booklets are also available. All fifteen Water – Use It Wisely regional partners, offer these guides to their water customers. Contact information is available on our partner page.

Our three must-have guides.