10 Simple Ways to Conserve Water in Your Garden (and Save Money)

Your plants and your wallet will thank you for following this expert gardening advice

Susan Moeller,

Updated April 21, 2025

AARP

Comments

Published August 10, 2023

/ Updated April 21, 2025

a wooden barrel for rainwater in a garden

schulzie/Getty Images

No matter where your garden grows, water is the most precious tool. And in a time of record temperatures and more frequent droughts, it's important to know how to conserve and use it wisely in your own backyard.

Besides, no one wants to be dragging around a heavy hose or toting watering cans if they don’t need to. Embrace smart strategies that not only save water and money but make watering less demanding and easier on your body.

It all comes down to three basic strategies, says Pam Penick, author of The Water-Saving Garden: How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden With a Lot Less Water: capture the water you get, garden for water conservation and use water efficiently,

Some actions, such as rethinking your plant choices, are simple; others, like building sunken “rain gardens” to absorb runoff, take muscle or money. But most water-saving steps are scalable, meaning you can start small, see how it works and then expand when you have the time or budget, Penick says.

Ready to get gardening? Here are 10 steps you can take to lessen the time, energy and money you’re spending on watering:

Mulch your gardens

Once water is in your soil, use mulch or live ground covers like creeping thyme, to keep it from evaporating, says Signe Danler, an instructor in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University in Corvallis and a Master Gardener trainer. In the vegetable garden, water and mulch around your plants but then let the area between rows dry out before mulching. “The weeds simply can't germinate. They're not getting any water,” says Danler. “So, it cuts down on a lot of work by putting the water only where you want.”

Collect water

In dryer climates, like Austin, Texas where Penick gardens, homeowners sometimes use a bucket to collect the condensation from their central air-conditioning units.

If you get significant summer rainfall, connect a rain barrel to your downspout. For about $100, a 50-gallon barrel can provide enough water for patio plantings or a small garden. But check local and state regulations for restrictions on how much water you can collect from run-off since it's considered a public resource. And, if you have an older roof or gutters, be wary of lead, preservatives and other contaminants, says Christopher Enroth, a horticultural educator with University of Illinois Extension. Don’t use run-off on any edible crops he says. “But for an ornamental landscape, your shrubs, your perennials, trees, that's definitely a much lower risk.”

Water wisely

Don’t water if you don’t need it. A $10 rain gauge can tell you how much water you’re getting. Or Enroth uses a screwdriver to check on his soil. If the soil has a good moisture level, the screwdriver should easily penetrate about four to six inches. Using a hose? Make sure you’re watering the roots of plants, which absorb the most water, not just spraying the leaves, says Enroth.

Get tech to help with irrigation

Water before dawn and install a smart system that doesn’t water when the ground is moist, says Danler. Or run your system manually rather than setting it on automatic.

Read the instructions and have it serviced annually to make sure sprinkler heads are in working order.

But make sure you match your watering system to your garden area. Sprayers might be best for lawns but in a vegetable garden, drip irrigation can target crops rather than the weeds in between rows, Danler says. Areas around shrubs might do better with irrigation bubblers that can cover a wide area.

Jena Ardell/Getty Images

Landscape for water

Design your garden to capture and save water, says Peter Jensen, who owns Terra Firma Permagardens, a Cape Cod-based company specializing in water-saving design. For example, terracing slopes slows the water, giving it time to be absorbed rather than washing into the road, he says.

“The first terrace stops it. That one’s going to get runoff and rain, and it will percolate through the rest of the terraces down the hill.” You can also capture water using techniques like lithic swales, (stone-lined channels) and rain gardens (basins that capture the water, filtering it through compost and other organic materials as it is slowly absorbed). Information on water collection and absorption techniques are available from state agricultural extension services and local landscape specialists.

Plant drought-resistant varieties

There are many plants such as creeping phlox and purple coneflower that add color to your garden without being water hogs. But be aware: When buying plants, “native” doesn’t always equate with “water-saving” or drought-resistant. A bog plant, for example, might be typical of your area, but it requires lots of water, says Danler. And some native plants may only survive in seasonally dry climates by going dormant during hot summers — probably not the garden look you want. “So the natives can be very helpful with water, but non-natives can be, too,” she says. Your local extension service is the best source for advice on water-saving plants for your area.

Create water zones

This is a great way to save on labor. Instead of dragging your house or lugging your watering can around the yard, plant the thirstiest plants closest to the house and your water source, Penick says. “And then as you work your way out from your house, plant things that are much more able to be just put in the ground and left alone.”

Dig up that water-hogging lawn

Lawns require 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week, according to Scott’s Lawn Care. Penick’s first book, Lawn Gone! Low-maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard have lots of alternative planting and design ideas. “A lawn has certain uses,” she says. “But if it’s just sitting there and requiring the lawn mower every week, and you don’t get anything out of it, there’s a lot more attractive things that you can do.”

schulzie/Getty Images

Use the right equipment

New lightweight hoses require less strength. and snap-on connectors make adding length less troublesome. Enroth advises storing flexible hoses in the garage to avoid UV light damage. Soaker hoses are lightweight and a quick fix for some gardens, he says. Or, he suggests a drip irrigation kit. A simple kit to water 300 square feet starts as low as $60. Also, change outdoor spigots to levers instead of circular handles to make them easier to turn.

Create the illusion of water

In The Water-Saving Garden, Penick has fun with features that create the look of water in a garden but don’t actually use water, such as a “pond” of crushed blue glass or stone. “Symbolic water is really important in drier climates,” she says. “It’s kind of a little fool-of-the-eye to make you think about water when you’re not actually using any.”

%{postComment}%

Susan Moeller is a contributing writer who covers lifestyle, health, finance and human-interest topics. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she also writes features and essays for the Boston Globe Magazine and her local NPR station, among other outlets.