Episode 14 - Water-Wise Landscaping

April 2022

Register now for the Water-Wise Landscaping Workshop happening on April 29 and 30. 

As more families join our Bitterroot community, and join in sharing our water resources, it’s more important than ever that we each use water wisely to conserve this clean and abundant resource.

As our annual snowfall decreases and summer droughts intensify, it’s critical to plan for a yard that can conserve our precious water resources and look good doing it. If you have a yard — at home or at the office — you can significantly benefit water conservation by adding native, drought-tolerant plants to your garden or lawn. Plus, regionally native plants are diverse and brilliant and, with the right preparation, are sure to make your outdoor spaces a delightful place.

Native plants are those plants that naturally and historically grow in an ecosystem or region. Over thousands of years they have evolved to thrive in local, natural conditions. Unlike cultivated plants or lawns, they don’t need high volumes of fertilizers, soil amendments, or water. These qualities make native plants inexpensive and easy to care for. It also enables gardeners and homeowners to choose an eco-friendlier path for landscaping.

Once established, native plants require far less water than lawns or cultivated species — meaning more water in our natural waterways. And of course, more water in our waterways is better for local wildlife, anglers, guides and outfitters, ranchers and farmers, local businesses and other Bitterroot community members alike. 

Gardening with native plants provides a multitude of additional benefits to being water-wise. Native plants support wildlife and provide important ecosystem services. Native pollinators, like bees, birds, beetles and butterflies, have evolved alongside native plants for hundreds or thousands of years and have developed unique relationships and behaviors that can’t always be replicated by non-native species. Thriving pollinator populations require robust native plant populations and, in turn, encourage stable ecosystems and food production. 

Visit GreatBearNativePlants.com to learn more, or ask your local nursery staff how what native plants might be best for you.