Careful plant selection can help reduce irrigation needs.

Water conservationwith xeriscape principles

leaf fescues do well on local rainfall pat-terns, going dormant during droughtand recovering when precipitationreturns to normal.

Other grass species are adapted tovarious climates around North Americaand would be appropriate for waterconservation or xeriscaping. Meyerzoysiagrass is strong in the South andMidwest. Sharps buffalograss is gainingstrength in the Southwest. The Midwest

continued

With proper plant selection, the golf course can remain attractive without consuming exces-sive amounts of water.

Ronald C. Smith, Ph.D.

For a golf course to succeed, it mustuse water. But irrigation doesn't need tocover every inch of the golf course, andthe savvy superintendent can scorepolitical points with neighbors, activistsand the media by taking a few stepsto save water using principles of xericlandscaping.

Xeric landscapes represent a con-scious attempt to develop plantingsthat are compatible with the environ-ment. Xeric landscaping may require achange in styles as well as plant materi-als. Any changes in plant materials atyour golf course should be precededwith a proper plan, plant selection andplant placement.

Start at the clubhouseThe clubhouse is a good starting

point. If it is surrounded by bentgrassthat is mowed to almost putting greenheight, why not change it to a speciesthat will require less water? On a north-ern course, consider blue grama(Boutelouagracilis) or a tall fescue culti-var (Festuca arundinacea).

Other possibilities include the manyfine-leaf fescues, such as red fescue(Festuca rubra), sheep fescue (F. ovina)and chewings fescue (F. rubra var. com-mutata). These can be used in poly-stands with common Kentucky blue-grass cultivars (such as the tough,drought resistant Kenblue) or as amonospecies. In many areas, these fine-

Golf Course Management. June 1998 61

continued from p. 61

has fairway crested wheatgrass and theNorthwest has colonial bentgrass.

While the greens, tees and fairwaysmust remain unaltered for clientsatisfaction, the roughs can supportgrasses with lower water requirements.Remember that the actual rate of wateruse will depend on the soil's water-reten-tion ability, the depth of the root systemand day-to-day environmental factors,as well as the species and cultivar in use.

Maintenance also matters. In non-critical use areas, attempt to get golfersto accept grass mowed a little taller. Itwill make a big difference in reducingwater requirements.

Xeric plant selectionsFor xeric settings around the course,

try to obtain plants whose parent stockcame from an ecosystem similar tothose on your golf course.

For example, if bur oak (Quercusmacrocarpa) is selected for a site sus-ceptible to drought, use trees that orig-inate from upland locations rather thanbottomlands or river valleys. In some

Wildflower mixes are one of the most attractive ways to go xeric on a golf course. From springthrough summer, they can offer a variety of color and form.

62 Golf Course Management. June 1998

instances, the superintendent can selectclones from parental lines adapted todry xeric conditions. This would givethe superintendent trees or shrubs withmore uniform physical characteristics.

EvergreensEvergreens offer a fair palette of

plant selections for xeric areas of thecourse. Colorado spruce (Picea pun-gens) is hardy, adaptable and drought-tolerant. These characteristics, com-bined with its distinctive pyramidalform, make it one of the most highlyprized conifers across the United States.Another close relative, the white spruce(P. glauca), is used widely in the plainsbecause of its adaptability.

Although similar, these two sprucesare not identical in form, especially asthey mature. Many Colorado sprucecultivars will retain the tight pyramidalshape throughout life, while the whitespruce will tend to open and spreadsomewhat with maturity.

The Black Hills variety of whitespruce, P. glauca var. densata, is slowergrowing than the Colorado variety,with a dense, conical form that enduresuntil the tree reaches 20 to 30 feet tall. Itis tolerant of heat and drought. If agolfer's shot should go wild and land ina spruce, the white and Black Hillswould inflict much less pain duringretrieval than a Colorado sprucebecause the needles are softer.

Pines suitable to dry locationsinclude Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris),Norway pine (P. resinosa), lodgepolepine (P. contorta var. latifolia) andmugo pine (P. mugo). Scotch pine willform a very attractive tree in soils thatare too sandy for most other species,and the exposed orange bark of themature tree makes a striking additionto the summer and winter landscapes.Mugo pine is often seen as a shrub infoundation plantings and eventuallygets as wide as it does tall. With simplepruning each spring - breaking ortrimming off new candle growth - theplant can be maintained as a dense,drought-tolerant shrub.

Any discussion of drought-tolerantconifers must include junipers. RockyMountain juniper (Juniperus scopulo-rum) must have dry conditions to per-form well, making it one of the best can-didates for prairie golf courses. It grows15 to 20 feet tall, is hardy throughoutmost of USDA zone 3 and has four goodcultivars on the market:• Blue Haven, a broad pyramidal form

with silvery blue foliage• Medora, a narrower form, a dense

growth habit with blue green foliage• Moffetti, a dense, pyramidal form

with gray-green foliage• Welchii, a dense, pyramidal plant

habit with silver-green foliageFor ground cover and shrub forms,

look to creeping juniper (J. horizonalis)cultivars. An outstanding one is J. hori-zontalis 'Depressa Aurea' that develops aclear golden yellow foliage when grown

in full sun and is less prone to winterdie-back than the more commongolden pfitzer juniper (J. x media'Pfitzerana Aurea'). For vase-shapedforms, use cultivars of the savin juniper(J. sabina). Their nice feathery formranges from 12 to 36 inches in height.

LarchThe various larch species (Larix spp.)

offer the benefits of both deciduous andevergreen forms of plants. The needle-like foliage that emerges in the spring isa fresh, bright green that turns a brightgolden yellow in the autumn just beforedefoliation. The species are very adapt-able to a wide range of conditions, fromboggy sites to upland plantings that arelow in natural rainfall and have no seri-ous insect or disease problems.

continued

Flowers for saving water

Here are several herbaceous flowering plants that may thrive under reduced irrigation:

Gaillardia pulchel/a (A) Gaillardia or blanket flower

Gaillardia grandiflora 'Goblin' (P) Gaillardia

Botanical name

Agastache rupestris (P)

Cleome hasslerana (A)

Datura spp. (A)

Gomphrena globosa (A)

Nepeta x faaessenii 'Select Blue' (P)

Penstemon strictus (P)

Perovskia atriplicifolia (P)

Xanthisma texanum (A)

A = annual; P = perennial

Common name

Licorice rryint or sunset hyssop

Spider flower or c1eome

Angel's trumpet

Globe amaranth

Blue catmint

Rocky Mountain penstemon

Russian sage

Star of Texas, sleepy daisy

Notable quality

Soft orange flowers that attract hummingbirds

Tall and wind-resistant;good for background plantings

White flower, velvety foliage; can get 3 feetby 3 feet in size

Good for bed borders and cut flowers

Very heat tolerant; looks best with occa-sional watering

Good button-like flowers for cutting/drying

Sterile - no worry about it becoming weedy

Tall (24 inches) showy blue flowers

Large (4 feet tall, 3 feet wide) with grey,aromatic foliage, smoky blue flowers.

2-3 inch yellow daisy-like flowers

..

Golf Course Management • June 1998 63

Many established plantings can be made more xeric (to requireless water) by following a few steps:

Maintenance of xeric plantings

Deciduous treesOne of the most drought-tolerant

deciduous trees is the green ash(Fraxinus pennsylvanica). It also rateshigh in salt tolerance, ease of trans-planting and speed of establishment.Select from seedless cultivars to preventweedy seedlings from sprouting all overthe course. Some of the better cultivarsadapted to the upper Midwest are:• Bergeson, a fast-growing, hardy

cultivar that is a good choice wherespace is limited, has an upright ovalcrown and a straight trunk .

• Dakota Centennial, a strong centralleader with dark green foliage and aglobe shape

• Kindred; a fast-growing, strong cen-tralleader with a rounded crown

• Marshall's Seedless, another good,vigorous male clone (seedless) thathas attractive yellow fall color

• Prairie Dome, a new cultivar with adense oval crown becoming morerounded with age

• Prairie Spire, a rapid-growingform with a compact, broad colum-nar to narrow pyramidal crown withgood fall colorAll of these are very hardy, but green

ash is overused in many residential andcity landscapes, which leaves urbanforests vulnerable to decimation by asingle plant disease. Avoid cultivars thathave been heavily planted in your com-munity and attempt to get multiple cul-tivars if this species is one of your con-siderations.

Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is along-lived, stately tree that, once estab-lished, is fully adapted to an environ-ment susceptible to drought. Be sure togive this tree plenty of room to grow,though - its height and spread canreach 80 feet.

Smaller trees that could provide niceaccents to any golf course landscape arefound in the tatarian and amur maples(Acer tataricum and A. ginnala). Bothgrow to about 15 to 18 feet in height,have little to no problems and providegood fall color, especially if the cultivarsof the amur maple are selected. All are

continued from p. 63

Depending on location, these fourspecies are your best choice:

1.decidua. This European larch is alarge-growing species with a broad,pyramidal form becoming wider andmore irregular as it matures.Possessing graceful, pendulousbranches, it is an excellent tree forlarge open spaces. It is hardythroughout zone 3.1. kampferi. The Japanese larch has asimilar appearance to the Europeanlarch, but it is hardy only to USDAzone 4.1. laricina. The American or tama-rack larch is found from Alaska toPennsylvania. It is attractive in massplantings .1. siberica. The Siberian larcharrived from Siberia and is native tothe epitome of xeric landscapes -dry, cold and windswept - making itthe best adapted species for such alandscape setting.

Grounds workers and out-of-bounds golfers will enjoyBlack Hills spruce becauseits relatively soft needlesinflict few scratches. Thetree also tolerates some-what dry conditions .

2. Xeric means the wise use of water, not the total lack of it. Whenwater is applied, perhaps by drip irrigation, put it where it can bemost efficiently used - deep in the root zone.

4. Look for ways to cut down on unnecessary turf areas, and makesure that flower beds beside turf are shaped with smooth, free-flowing lines for easy mowing.

3. Be generous with organic mulches. Using 2 to 4 inches of bark,chipper debris or compost to cover the soil around the base of theplant will help control weeds (big water robbers) and conservewater already in the soil.

1. Don't create lush growth by over-fertilizing or over-watering.Do both these practices to meet the needs of the plants,nothing more.

64 Golf Course Management • June 1998

Asters are important xeric perennials with summer and early-autumn bloom. These sturdy plants will not tolerate wet, poorlydrained soils. Most, like this Aster ceduifo/ia, provide a beautiful bloom.

hardy through zone 3. Both can also beused attractively in planters or patiosaround the clubhouse.

Deciduous shrubsOne of the best shrubs for xeric

landscaping is the potentilla or cinque-foil (Potentilla fruticosa), a very durableshrub that produces sulfur-colored,orange or white flowers from earlysummer until frost. The species has veryfew insect and disease problems,reaches no more than about 3 feet inheight and makes a dense shrub with-out pruning. It can be used as a low.hedge or in foundation plantingsaround the clubhouse. This plant doesrequire full sun, as it tends to performpoorly in shade, where it becomes vul-nerable to powdery mildew. The seedand leaves that remain through the win-ter are attractive to over-wintering birdsfor food and shelter.

The winged euonymus, also known asburning bush (Euonymus alatus), is almostas durable as the potentilla. Its unique

angular bark extensions or "wings" are thebasis for the common name. The standardspecies will reach 6 feet tall and have brightred fall color, while dwarf cultivars willreach about 3 feet in height. They do nothave noticeable flowers.

For blooms, turn to lilacs. TheChinese lilac (Syringa X chinensis) andthe late lilac (S. villosa) will both reach10 feet tall and be covered with fragrantblooms in mid spring.

The wayfaring tree viburnum(Viburnum lantana) is anotherdrought-tolerant beauty that producescreamy-white flowers, followed by col-orful fruit (yellow, red and black -often all at once) that attracts the song-birds. Give it room to grow as thisspecies can exceed 10 feet in height andhave an equal spread.

End at the clubhouseRegardless of how successful you may

be at saving water and beautifying thecourse, your attempts to go "xeric" willgo unappreciated unless you put forth

an information and education effort.Take every opportunity to educate

and inform golfers and neighbors viasigns, seminars, press releases andboard meetings. Arm yourself with dataand information to ensure you cansell your ideas to your critics, skepticsand employers .•

References1. Dirr, M. 1990. Woody landscape plants. Stipes

Publishing Co., Champaign, Ill.2. Ellefson, c., T. Stephens and D. Welsh. 1992.

Xeriscape gardening. MacMillan, New York.3. Proctor, B. 1996. Xeriscape plant guide.

Denver Water and American Water WorksAssociation. Denver, Colo.

4. Smith, R.C. 1997. Xeriscape plant selectionsand ideas. Extension Publication No. H-957,North Dakota State University, Fargo (onlineat http://www/ag.ndsu.nodak.edul).

5. Still, S.M. 1988. Manual of herbaceous orna-mental plants. Stipes Publishing Co.,Champaign, Ill.

Ronald C. Smith, Ph.D., is extension horticulturistand turfgrass specialist at North Dakota StateUniversity.

Golf Course Management • June 1998 65