Soil temperature and moisture are not only two important factors in designing urban landscapes, but in dry cities with hot summers and cold winters, they are two essential factors for plants’ survival. Mulches and planting combinations are two important principles of xeriscaping or water-wise landscaping.

We investigated the effects of water-wise planting combinations and mulch types on soil moisture and temperature at depths of 5, 15, and 30 cm. The planting combination had five levels from perennial herbaceous plants to mixtures of herbaceous flowering plants and deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Scoria and wood chips were selected as mulch factors. In summer, the planting that included a combination of herbaceous plants with deciduous and evergreen shrubs had the highest soil moisture content at a depth range of 5−30 cm. Also, this planting type decreased the soil temperature by 2.5 °C in the same depth range. Wood chips was the most efficient mulch for the soil temperature moderation in summer. This mulch type reduced the soil temperature to 0.0 °C compared to the soil temperature under scoria which was 1.6 °C. The evergreen planting had positive effects by preventing soil freezing during cold winter nights.

土壤温度和湿度不仅是设计城市景观的两个重要因素，而且在夏季炎热和冬季寒冷的干旱城市中，它们也是植物生存的两个重要因素。覆盖物和种植的结合是造景或水景美化的两个重要原理。

我们调查了水培种植方式和覆盖类型对5、15和30 cm深度土壤水分和温度的影响。从多年生草本植物到草本开花植物以及落叶和常绿灌木的混合物，种植组合有五个层次。选择Scoria和木片作为覆盖因子。在夏季，包括草本植物和落叶灌木和常绿灌木的种植在5-30 cm的深度范围内具有最高的土壤水分含量。同样，这种种植方式在相同深度范围内使土壤温度降低了2.5°C。木屑是夏季土壤温度适中的最有效覆盖物。与覆盖在火山灰下的土壤温度为1.6°C相比，这种覆盖方式将土壤温度降低至0.0°C。