Written by: Patricia O’Brien, CMG 2018

One of the earliest grade school lessons we learned was that “Water is Life.” In my early childhood, water was plentifully available with the turn of a faucet. That picture, which combines the reality of the necessity of water on one hand with the inevitability of our resources on the other, is a false one.

In the last several years, the drought that has gripped our beautiful Southwest (spanning the states of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and California) has only become more dire, reflecting the most severe drought since 800 AD. A climate and weather report has identified the contributors of this massive drought as a combination in precipitation decline and the increase in the daily average temperature. The consequences of the drought have also been dire including water shortages threatening reservoirs which in turn threaten drinking agriculture and tribal water supplies. Also, electricity supply generated from hydroelectric plants, fishing and recreational activities. The massive wildfire seasons of 2020 and 2021 have been fueled by the lack of precipitation and surface moisture associated with the drought. The costs of fire in the last several years is still being calculated but is thought to be in the billions of dollars, not even counting the costs associated with the loss of life.

Many of these observations are well known by Colorado Master Gardeners who work with the public every day to provide the evidence-based education to support anyone who wants to grow their garden of flowers and fruits despite the difficult context of our climate here in southern Colorado. However, I would like to suggest that CMG could go a little further by doing more education about water-wise gardening including xeric perennials and natives to decrease our reliance on water. I have totally removed my front yard and replaced the thirsty Midwest typical grass with drought- tolerant buffalo grass which after three years provides a splendid carpet around my large perennial bed. There is no grass of any type in my back yard but rather a design of breeze landscape material, pavers and ground cover. We have no water restrictions here yet but doing the research for creating a water-wise garden can help you get ahead of the curve as we recognize that we must make different choices.