Green Friendly California

If the state’s prolonged drought continues it could kill the concept of the traditional lawn in California. In the Riverside County community where I live the home owners association once patrolled looking for brown lawns, they now conducts patrols looking for signs that homeowners are lavishing too much water on their lawns and letting it run over the sidewalks and down the street.

Some Southern California cities are reconsidering their lawn laws and exploring alternatives to homes with perfect rectangles of green. State officials estimate that up to 70 percent of a family’s water bill is spent on landscaping. It is becoming obvious that we need to become more water-wise in our landscaping designs.

Water Wise choices include

Artificial Turf – Quality turf is pricey, up to $5 per square foot installed. Although homeowners who have it save money on water, an estimated 750 square feet of fake grass can conserve about 22,000 gallons of water per year, is the cost an effective expenditure? The two sections of my front lawn are a total of 1100 sq ft., the math at just $3.50 per sq ft with me doing the install would be almost $4000, ouch!

Native Landscaping – OK, what does that mean? Basically a water-wise landscape design would focus on working with nature and natural forces (such as rainfall) to create an aesthetically pleasing, livable landscape, while using less water from the local supply. These designs still incorporate some green lawn space.

Decide on the trees, shrubs, and ground covers for your water-wise native landscape based on their natural ability to grow well in your area. Select plants that do well with little or no addition of water. Consider native plants as well as introduced species for residential landscapes. Re-think your watering habits, plants under trees or along the side of the house can live with much less water than we typically provide them.

Desert Landscaping - Now here is a concept I can grasp and in southern California an attractive desert landscape is easily accomplished. Low-maintenance, water-wise, desert landscape plans call for the use of drought-tolerant plants for full sun, requiring almost only naturally accruing precipitation and a good design. Remember, you don’t need to be a professional landscape artist, anyone can create a water wise desert landscape design.

A feature I like to suggest that uses the natural flow of the terrain is a “dry riverbed” couple this with a few well placed landscape boulders and a nice piece of driftwood and a center piece tree like a Blue or green Palo verde, a small Mesquite, or an awesome Mexican Elderberry and you are will on your way to a water-wise masterpiece. Finish the design off with a small mix of; cactus, aloe, small species agave, desert shrubs and/or succulents and you can create beauty and color all year long.

Now, How do I keep it alive?

With the exception of the centerpiece tree the rest of the plants are going to need only a little additional water outside what nature gives it. At original planting I would add good drainage around the root ball of the center piece tree with two, 3” deep water tubes to get it started. Don’t forget to give it some good rich soil and extra nutrients, it will need them to get established. Next year you can cut off the deep water tubes at ground level and fill them up with sand.

For the rest of the design do the same with good soil and drainage. For watering, a simple trickle or drip irrigation systems would be very efficient. Soil moisture around the scrubs can be maintained at a level most suitable to plant uptake. If properly installed and maintained, little water is lost to evaporation or runoff and water use can be reduced by 70 percent or more. The expense of installing a good drip irrigation system will be compensated by reduced water usage, less replacement of plant materials, and a lot less work.

Professional landscapers, horticulturists, and others in the nursery industry know the value of a water wise landscape design. Now you do too so go have some fun.