Troubled Waters Lesson Plans
How Does Your (Water Wise) Garden Grow?

See also:
Water Fables
Water Laws
Where Has All the Water Gone?
Who Owns Your Water?

Return to Troubled Waters artifact page

Half of the water used outdoors around the home is for watering lawns. Water-saving landscapes, or xeriscapes, offer an alternative to traditional water-intensive yard design.

Grade Level: High School

Class Time: Senior Project or class project

Curriculum Areas: Earth Science, Life Sciences (Botany), Art, Industrial Arts

Skill Areas: Design, plant identification.

• Students will understand the reasons for changing landscaping techniques to save water.
• Students will understand the seven principles of xeriscapes.
• Students will understand the design elements pertinent to landscape design.
• Students will produce a model terrain designed to save water while making an attractive landscape.

Procedures
Teachers may determine whether to use this activity for a class project or a major project for individual students. If used as a class project, divide students into teams and assign each team an area of research. Students will then share their areas of expertise with the rest of the class.

Assign each student a plant to research for its applicability to a xeriscape in your locale. All the reports will be shared with the whole class.

Have each team come up with their proposed design and present it to the class as though they were bidding for a landscape project. Plants to be used, costs, time investment, and efficacy of design should be covered. The class will then adopt one of the designs, or a modified design, and build the xeriscape as a group.

Activities

1. Watch the video Troubled Waters.
2. Research water conservation issues related to home outdoor water use.
3. Research water saving landscaping techniques.
4. Research lawn and garden design for visual appeal.
5. Write a paper about your research. Relate the rationale for the importance of saving water in landscaping and yard care. Include the elements of water saving landscaping, the reasons for water saving landscaping, and the advantages/disadvantages of such landscaping. Also include design elements that make an attractive outdoor space.
6. Project: Find a space on the school grounds that the administration will allow you to use for a school beautification project. Design and plant a water-saving garden combining the elements of landscape design and the principles of xeriscape design. As much as possible, use native plants.
7. Portfolio: Include pictures of your project at each stage of development, including design sketches used and revised. Show evidence of water savings in the design of your xeriscape.
8. Presentation: Give a tour of your xeriscape to students, teachers and administrators. Your school board members and members of local water conservation groups may also be invited. Maintain your landscape as a model for the public in water-saving land use.

Resources:

Local agricultural extension service

Local nursuries

Xeriscape

Seven Principles of Xeriscape

Xeriscape NC

Extensions:
1. Research lawn and garden fertilization and pest control. Create a landscape that does not use harmful chemicals or uses techniques to prevent fertilizer and pesticide run-offs into rivers and streams.