Low-Water Pollinator Border: Native Picks, Spacing, and Seasonal Care

Install Your Garden Border

With a plan and plants, you are ready to build. Proper spacing and planting techniques give your perennials a strong start.

A Xeriscape Spacing Guide

Xeriscaping is designing gardens that need little water. Correct spacing is a core principle. Plants need room to grow to their mature size without competing for water and nutrients. Overcrowded plants are stressed. Stressed plants are more prone to pests and diseases. Crowding also reduces air circulation, which promotes fungal problems.

Read the plant tag. The tag lists the mature width of the plant. If a plant grows 24 inches wide, its center should be 24 inches from the center of the next plant. This spacing looks sparse at first. Young plants appear small and far apart. Be patient. Within two to three seasons, the plants will fill in the space completely. This mature spacing reduces your watering duties and maintenance work.

Planting Your Perennials

Follow these steps for successful planting.

1. Arrange your plants in the bed before digging. Place them according to your design and spacing plan. Adjust their positions until you are satisfied with the layout.
2. Dig a hole for each plant. Make the hole twice as wide as the nursery pot and just as deep. The plant’s crown, where the stem meets the roots, should sit at or slightly above soil level.
3. Gently remove the plant from its pot. If the roots are tightly wound, tease them apart with your fingers. This encourages roots to grow outward into the new soil.
4. Place the plant in the hole. Make sure the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.
5. Backfill the hole with the soil you removed. Do not add fertilizer to the planting hole. Native plants often prefer lean soil.
6. Press the soil down firmly around the plant to remove air pockets.
7. Water each plant deeply right after planting. This settles the soil and gives the roots needed moisture.