Now that summer is here, that means two things for your lawn and garden for most of you. Either you will have a brown lawn and save money on your water bill, or you will have a beautiful, green yard and an enormous water bill to match.

But there’s a third way. Here are a few solutions to keep in your yard looking nice during the summer without spending a lot of money on water.

1. Invest in A Smart Irrigation System

We have been using the Rachio Smart Sprinkler System, and it makes a huge difference in our water bill and how nice our lawn looks. We are currently under strict drought regulations, so it is very important for us to stick to a certain water usage. Since switching to a smart irrigation system, we regularly save $30-40 each month on our water bill, our lawn looks greener, and our water usage is under the average usage for our city.

You can currently get the first generation of this system for $149.99 through Amazon. If this smart device saves you $30 a month on your water bill, then you will have saved $360 by the end of the year. The device will have paid for itself just after five months of use.

2. Opt for Drought Resistant Plants

Even if you are not experiencing the effects of the drought, using drought resistant plants in your garden can help save water. You aren’t limited to just cacti either. There are quite a few beautiful drought resistant plants. Here are a few to check out:

• Lewisia cotyledon ‘Sunset Strain’
• Lavandula multifida
• Sedum rupestre’Angelina’
• Sedum spurium’Voodoo’
• Agastache rugosa
• Helictotrichon sempervirens

3. Add Mulch on Top

Adding mulch to your lawn is so simple, yet a very often overlooked step. During the summer, mulch can give your lawn a nutrients’ boost and can reduce water use 25-50%. Mulch helps reduce evaporation and keeps plant roots, which in turn allows them to stay healthy with less water.

4. Weed Often

Frequent weeding is a necessary evil. You don’t want to waste money watering weeds, especially since they are greedy plants.

5. Group Similar Plants Together

Different plants have different water needs. Organizing your landscape in a way that groups plants together by their water needs. Once your plants are organized, then you can use a smart irrigation system to control how much water each section receives. This will be harder to do if your plants have already been planted, but it is worth looking at. Perhaps some plants can be relocated in another area for optimized watering.

6. Take Inspiration from Earlier Times

It was so common for earlier generations to reuse their gently used water or to collect rain water for gardening needs. I think these two simple tasks can still be done today without much effort. My uncle lives about an hour from me and has even stricter drought restrictions, but he also has an HOA. A brown grass just isn’t an option, but keeping it green will earn him several water usage penalties. He simply started placing a bucket next to him when he showers and then uses it after to water some areas of his lawn. This little bit of water does add up and helped lower his bill about 7-10%, while still keeping his yard nice.

Don’t get hit with high water bills this summer just because you want to keep your yard looking great. What are some of your tips for saving water in your yard?

Tagged as: Advice, Frugal Living, Money Tips

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