Conservation Garden

A guide to Waterwise Gardening
The City of Bremerton residents enjoy some of the highest quality water in the country and our water rates are among the lowest in Washington State. However, if our community is to continue to grow and prosper, we must practice conservation of our remarkable water resource.

Help Conserve Water!We are fortunate enough to live in a location that does not require landscape irrigation if we plan properly. Our drought time is limited to the summer months and most plant mortality in our area is related to overwatering; i.e. root rot, “wet feet”, and fertilizer leaching due to overwatering.

With this in mind, the City of Bremerton has developed a “waterwise” or Conservation Garden, along with a step-by-step approach to planning, designing, installing, and maintaining your own conservation gardens.

This method of landscaping conserves water and protects the environment. It also helps decrease peak demand (the time when the most water is used), promote change in our attitudes and behavior toward gardening, and increase environmental awareness.

The following “Seven Fundamentals of Low-Water Use” should improve your chances of creating a successful landscape.

    1. Soil Improvement: Adding organic matter to the soil will help to retain water and provide needed plant nutrients. The depth to which this organic matter should be cultivated into soil depends on your design. Different plant types require different depths.
    2. Appropriate Use of Turfgrass: Lawns are our largest water user. Turf requires twice as much water as established drought tolerant plants. Smaller, rounded plots of lawn on level areas are easiest to water efficiently. Local WSU Cooperative Extension agents can assist in the selection of grass species and provide information on proper maintenance.
    3. Efficient Irrigation: There are a variety of irrigation technologies to choose from: surface systems, subsurface drip systems, timed and untimed systems, and hand watering. Efficiency in an irrigation system is attained by keeping the system well maintained and applying water only as plants need it. Good soil preparation and proper plant selection can alleviate the need for irrigation altogether.
    4. Use of mulches: Mulches reduce the amount of moisture that evaporates from bare ground. Mulches also help insulate plant roots during cold periods and deter weed growth. Organic mulches include wood chips, bark, straw, grass clippings, peat moss, and coarse sand. Mulches should be spread a few inches thick around plants and on any bare ground.
    5. Selection of Low-Water Use Plants: Plants that thrive in the microclimate of the site should be selected, i.e. high and low temperatures, soil types, available sunlight, humidity and natural precipitation. Plants native to our region are “best choices”. Some plants from the Mediterranean climates also do well here. Keep in mind that some low-water use plants have specific needs such as shade or hydric soils. Not meeting these needs can cause increased watering. There are many good reference materials dealing with plant selection and low-water landscape design. A reputable garden nursery person can also be helpful.
    6. Planning and Design: Evaluate existing conditions and assess your needs. What are your conservation goals? How much time can you realistically devote to a garden? Start with a notebook, collect images, visit garden nurseries and professional gardens. Remain flexible and don’t focus on details too quickly; use “bubble” diagrams. Reinforce your shape through a variety of plant layers. Plan on 3/4 of mature size when estimating plant quantities.
    7. Appropriate Maintenance: Even drought resistant plants require additional watering until established (usually three to six months). Planting should be done semiannually, in fall and early spring, to take advantage of natural precipitation. Weeds require a great deal of water to compete with other plants. During the first growing season it is important to hand-weed to prevent damage to the soil. Correct pruning to remove dead and diseased growth and promote the plants natural shape may reduce the plant’s water demands.

Guide to Plants in the Bremerton Conservation Garden
Botanical Name Common Name
A. uva ursi

 Kinnikinnick
T. lanuginosus

 Woolly thyme
Sagina subulata

 Scotch moss
Polypodium munitum

 Sword fern
A. palmatum

 Lace-leaf maple
Mahoria aquifolium

 Oregon grape
Tsuga mertensiana

 Mountain hemlock
P. strobus "Nana"

 Dwarf white pine
Festuca ovina rubra

 Purple fescue
Carex albula

 Frosty curl sedge
Blechnum spicant

 Deer fern
I. doublasiana

 Pacific iris
For more information on drought tolerant plants and waterwise gardening, please contact any of the following:

City of Bremerton
Department of Public Works & Utilities
Water Resources Division
 3027 Olympus Drive
Bremerton, WA 98310-4799
(360) 473-5920

P.U.D. No. 1 of Kitsap County
(360) 779-7656

WSU Cooperative Extension
(360) 876-7157