Nature's Touch Landscape U D A I P U R · RA J A S T H A N · S I N C E 2 0 1 5 G U I D E · WAT E R-W I S E G A R D E N S N AT U R E S T O U C H L A N D S C A P E . C O M Water-wise garden design for Rajasthan: a year-round guide A garden in Rajasthan is designed around its water first and its plants second. This guide covers supply, soil, planting, drip and lawn, and ends with a month-by-month calendar for the year. Start with the water, not the plants In a dry climate, the most important drawing in a garden is not the planting plan. It is the one that shows where the water comes from, how much of it there is in the worst month, and what it contains. A water-wise garden is not a sparse one. It is a garden whose demand has been matched to its supply from the beginning, so that May is survivable rather than a crisis. Most sites in and around Udaipur draw on one or more of three sources, and each shapes the design differently. SOURCE WHAT TO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE GARDEN Municipal supply Arrives on a schedule, not continuously Needs a storage tank sized for the longest real gap in supply, with the pump drawing from the tank Borewell Often hard, may carry fine sand, and has a yield limit Filtration is essential; never run a pump beyond what the bore can deliver Tanker The summer reality on many properties In peak summer, irrigate for survival rather than appearance Hard water deserves its own mention. It scales drip emitters shut from the inside over a season or two, leaves a white crust on containers, and pushes already alkaline soil further in the wrong direction. Plan for filtration, regular flushing and, where hardness is severe, acid or chelate treatment through the system. Size everything against the worst month the property has had, not the average. Plants that belong to the climate The most reliable way to save water is to plant things that do not need much of it. Native and long-adapted species do more with less: neem, karanj and Cassia fistula for canopy; karonda, plumeria and Murraya in the understorey; bougainvillea, oleander, Tecoma, Hamelia and Duranta as shrubs; Russelia, portulaca and ornamental grasses at the edges. A layered, climate- adapted planting design puts canopy first, because shade lowers ground temperature and reduces water need for everything beneath it for the rest of the garden's life. What to avoid is just as useful: ferns, hydrangea and most begonias, which need constant moisture; large soft-leaved plants in wind; and anything whose look depends on never missing a Nature's Touch Landscape · naturestouchlandscape.com · page 1 of 4 watering. Terraces are harsher still, and our list of drought resistant plants for Rajasthan roofs covers that situation. Plant in the right window There are two planting windows here: September to November, once the monsoon has passed, and February, before the heat builds. Planting in May sharply increases both the establishment water and the losses. Establishment takes about eighteen months and two summers; through the first summer, water deeply and less often so roots go down, not sideways. Soil and mulch Much of the ground around Udaipur is shallow, gravelly and low in organic matter, often over rock, and tends to run alkaline. Water passes through faster than young roots can use it, and iron gets locked up, producing yellowing between the leaf veins that is easily mistaken for thirst. Watering harder makes it worse. Test the soil before planting. Cultivate deeply to break compacted layers, and work organic matter through the whole rooting depth rather than only into the pit. Correct pH at the soil rather than spraying iron every year. Mulch every bare surface, coarse and deep, and renew it before summer. It is the cheapest water-saving measure available. Use groundcover as living mulch where planting has not yet closed over. Drip at the root Water put on leaves, paths and midday air is water lost. Inline drip under mulch for beds and hedges, bubblers or ring drip for trees, and spray only on lawn is the usual split. The saving comes mostly from hydrozoning: grouping plants by water need, sun and exposure so that a drought-tolerant bed is never on the same valve as a lawn. A controller with a separate programme for each zone, and a rain sensor to stop it running in the monsoon, turns the plan into habit. Our page on drip irrigation systems for Rajasthan gardens explains filtration and zoning in detail. The most expensive habit in Rajasthan gardening An irrigation controller left on its summer programme through July and August. It wastes water, drowns roots and invites fungal disease in the one season the garden needs almost nothing. Switch down at the first rains; switch back after the last. Lawn, and what to plant instead Lawn is the thirstiest, most labour-intensive element in most gardens. If it stays, choose the grass for the job: Bermuda for hard wear and quick repair, Zoysia where the lawn is looked at more than walked on, Paspalum where water is brackish. Hold the cutting height up through summer; scalped grass exposes its own roots and drinks more. Nature's Touch Landscape · naturestouchlandscape.com · page 2 of 4 Better still, keep lawn only where people sit or play. Elsewhere, layered planting, spreading groundcovers, gravel with specimen plants, or a shaded paved terrace give green and usable space for far less water. Productive beds are another option; a well-planned kitchen garden design on drip produces most in the cool season, when water is least scarce. A Rajasthan garden calendar A working guide for gardens around Udaipur. Adjust for local frost, altitude and when the monsoon actually arrives. MONTH PLANT AND SOW PRUNE AND CUT WATER AND CARE January Succession sowing of leafy greens; plant winter annuals in gaps Formative pruning of young shrubs and trees Low demand; protect tender plants on cold nights; heavy feeding continues February Second planting window: shrubs, trees, groundcover; sow summer vegetables Structural pruning before the heat Flush lines, clean filters, pressure- test and check every emitter March Finish planting early in the month Last light pruning Switch controller to summer programme; renew mulch April Avoid new planting Almost none Water before about seven; shade net over young and cropping plants May None None; cutting now invites dieback Deep, less frequent watering; flush containers monthly; tanker sites irrigate for survival June Prepare pits and soil for autumn None Clear drains and roof outlets before the first rain July Take cuttings; hold major planting unless drainage is proven Trim fast growth; keep hedges in shape Irrigation down or off; watch for fungal disease August Cuttings and seedlings for autumn Regular clipping of hedges and climbers Drains checked mid-season; weeding keeps pace with growth September First planting window opens as rain eases Tidy monsoon growth Irrigation back on gradually; shade net comes down October Main planting; sow coriander, fenugreek, spinach; plant tomato, brinjal, chilli Post-monsoon cutting back Lawn aeration and renovation; the season's heaviest feeding; winter programme November Finish planting; succession sowing Shape shrubs after flushes of flower Top up mulch; fill gaps Nature's Touch Landscape · naturestouchlandscape.com · page 3 of 4 December Succession sowing continues Light corrective pruning Service the irrigation system; check stakes and ties on young trees A calendar only works if someone keeps it. For larger gardens, a garden AMC built around the Rajasthan seasons makes sure the February checks happen before May asks anything of the system. Working with Nature's Touch Landscape Nature's Touch Landscape designs, builds and maintains water-wise gardens from its studio in Udaipur, for homes, hotels and estates across Rajasthan. We begin with the water source and the soil, draw planting to suit both, and install the drip irrigation, filtration and controllers that keep it running through summer. See how we approach garden irrigation design , or ask the studio for a site survey Nature's Touch Landscape — landscape design, planting, drip irrigation and garden maintenance in Udaipur since 2015. Saheliyon ki Bari, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001, India · +91 63751 08140 · naturestouchlandscapeservices@gmail.com · Mon–Sat 9am–7pm Website: https://naturestouchlandscape.com/ Services Landscape design & planting Terrace & rooftop gardens Drip irrigation systems Garden maintenance & AMC More from the studio Hotel & resort landscaping The Journal — garden guides About the studio Book a site visit Nature's Touch Landscape · naturestouchlandscape.com · page 4 of 4