How to Create a Xeriscape Container Garden

If your area is prone to hose pipe bans or you simply don’t receive much rainfall in the summer a xeriscape garden.

With climate change bringing hotter and drier summers, creating a xeriscape garden is a great way to make your plants and garden more resistant to extreme weather. Plus it’s simply a great way to save water!

Whether you’re creating a xeriscape garden on a balcony or on a small garden deck, this guide is full of simple tips to reduce water loss. Ultimately helping you grow a garden that’s resistant, productive, and beautiful!

Benefits of creating a xeriscape container garden:

• Saves money as it requires less water
• Minimal watering is required, so it’s a garden with minimal ongoing care needs
• Climate-friendly as it minimizes how much water we take from our drinking water supply (which needs to be cleaned and replaced).

Lots of garden styles are perfectly suited to a xeriscape garden created using containers. You could create a container rock garden or a Mediterranean-style garden by filling a mix of containers with plants that suit these styles.

Plants for a xeriscape container garden

Choosing the right plants is key when creating a xeriscape garden. The essence of a xeriscape garden is to reduce water usage, so ideally you need plants that have good drought tolerance.

There are some plants that are more resistant and drought-tolerant than others. Here are a few examples of plants for a xeriscape container garden.

Succulents and cacti

These plants are naturally adapted to more arid conditions. The thick leaves of succulents and the reduced surface area of cacti make them ideal for a landscape that lacks water. Some great examples that you could include in your xeriscape containers are:

• Agave
• Opuntia
• Sedum

Other hardy and drought-resistant plants include…

Annual flowers: Calendula, poppies, cosmos.

Alpines: Wall bellflowers, dianthus, scabious.

Perennials: Salvias, rosemary, echinacea, lavender.

Each of these plants originated in the Mediterranean or a similarly rocky or dry landscape, making them an ideal choice for a garden that needs minimal water.

Alpines are especially suited to extreme weather like drought, wind, and variable temperatures.

Growing crops in a xeriscape container garden

The plants mentioned in the section above are all resistant to minimal watering. Some perennial kitchen herbs like thyme and rosemary are already well suited to a xeriscape garden. But what about traditional veg crops like zucchini or pumpkins?

Many vegetables like watermelons or squash, and even mini pumpkins need a good amount of water to produce their fruits. However, there are some drought-tolerant vegetables you can add to your xeriscape container garden…

• Amaranth: an ancient grain that thrives in poor soil conditions with limited watering.
• Okra: Thrives in hot conditions and tolerates dry spells.
• Peppers: Hot peppers with small fruits do well in hot conditions, unlike large sweet peppers, the smaller fruits can tolerate minimal watering.
• Swiss Chard: Thrives in hot conditions, still needs some water to stop leaves from tasting too bitter.
• Sweet potatoes: Survives in dry soil with minimal but regular watering, the last few weeks are best without water as this stops the sweet potatoes from splitting.

Best containers for creating a xeriscape garden

Container-bound plants are unable to send roots down into the water reserves deep underground. This means you’ll need to manage the water they receive.

Above ground, the soil in a container is more exposed to heat, especially if you keep your containers on a sunny balcony or stone patio that heats up during the day.

When choosing a container for a xeriscape garden opt for resin or plastic pots as they’re made from a non-permeable material. Terracotta, wood, and clay are permeable which means water is able to evaporate away.

If you prefer the rustic look of terracotta pots you can usually find plastic and resin pots that imitate these styles. And if you’re trying to save money or be more eco-conscious you can usually find secondhand planters on sites like Craigslist or gumtree.

Plant pot saucers and trays

When watering the containers, you don’t want any water to be wasted, so adding plant pot saucers will catch any excess. This saves precious water from seeping into your deck or patio.

Create good drainage

Plant saucers are great until your garden is watered by a torrential storm! A plant pot sitting in a tray of water could damage the roots at the base of the plant pot.

To stop the roots from rotting, you could add pebbles or gravel to the bottom of your containers as you pot them up to improve drainage.

Creating the right soil for a xeriscape container

You’ve got the plants, you’ve got the containers. Getting the right soil is another essential part of creating a xeriscape garden.

Soil that’s too heavy or clay-based isn’t ideal for the type of plants that thrive in a xeriscape garden. Whereas sandy soil will allow too much water to escape.

The create the best soil for your xeriscape garden containers, mix a peat-free bag of compost with a few handfuls of perlite or vermiculite.

Both are lightweight materials that help to retain moisture, air, and plant food. These small porous rocks will slowly release water and nutrients as and as the plant needs them.

Retain moisture by mulching

Adding a layer of mulch to the tops of the containers helps to prevent the top layer of soil from drying out and retains the overall moisture level in the container.

Mulches that you could use include:

• Untreated bark chips or sawdust
• Grit, small stones, or pebbles
• Grass clippings
• Animal manure
• Compost

How to water xeriscape garden containers

While a xeriscape garden is built around a reduced need for water, you will still need to provide water occasionally. During really hot, dry periods, you may need to step in and water your containers.

Collecting rainwater

The most sustainable way to provide water in your xeriscape garden is to keep a water tank that can collect rainfall. This saves you from using tap water as you can fill your watering can from the tank when needed.

Drip irrigation

If you don’t have the space for a water tank, there are drip irrigation systems you could use instead. Drip irrigation is a great way to manage water in a xeriscape container garden.

It sounds complex and expensive, but you can create a DIY drip irrigation system at home. Although there are plenty of ready-made irrigation kits you can use too.

Drip irrigation is a convenient way to slowly release water into your plant pots and it works perfectly in any sized garden space. It’s also especially useful for when you’re away on holiday and can’t water your plants!

Other water-saving tips include:

• Make sure you water the plants right at the base of the stems, not the leaves. This allows water to get straight to the roots instead of evaporating away from the leaves.
• Watering plants in the evening or early morning allows the water to soak into the soil before the sun evaporates it away.

With the right containers, soil conditions, and a mix of hardy or drought-tolerant plants, you can easily create your own thriving xeriscape container garden. 

It’s a great way to make your yard as climate-friendly as possible, and simply a great way to save on water bills!