Conserving Water This Summer In Your Yard

!±8± Conserving Water This Summer In Your Yard

Many state water districts estimate that homeowners use over 50% of their summer water for landscape irrigation. In light of global warming and drought, doesn't that make you feel a little guilty? It's time to end our long, luscious love affair with needy, thirsty plants. We all had a good time and have fond memories of those days spent in the hot August sun running around with the hose, all codependent! Yards that conserve water with drought tolerant or native plants are now all the rage.

My life-coach pal at CoachBetty.com always says, "It's time to change your perspective. Think out of the BOX!" It's time to shift our "backyard" mindset and "think out of the LAWN." Planting huge lawns and thirsty ornamentals is like driving a gas-guzzler and wearing pink leg-warmers. That's so 80's! Growing natives and drought tolerant groundcovers is like driving a hybrid and texting on your Strawberry-Chocolate cell phone.
OMG! DYGI? (Oh my God! Do you get it?)

Growing natives will provide you with a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape while lowering your water bill. It's probably too hot to actually do the transformation in your yard this month, but start designing a plan ready to rip and rock in the fall. In autumn you'll want to remove high maintenance plants that just aren't cutting it.

Questions to ask yourself:

Does the plant demand lots of water?

Is it needy and cranky in the summer heat?

(If yes, ask yourself why you attracted such a whiner.)

Did it bloom profusely and make you look like a horticultural wizard?

If not, it's time to do some plant tossing straight into the compost pile.

Before digging in new plants, work a good amount of organic matter(compost) into your soil and after you plant, cover the soil with mulch. Amended soil will retain more water than soil lacking organic matter. Amended soil is populated by micro and macro organisms that excrete nutrients and aerate your soil, allowing water to reach down to the roots.

Last month I attended an informative class at Suburban Habitat in Novato, Ca. led by Ryan Grisso, our Water Conservation Coordinator and landscape designer Matt Buchholz. I asked, "How can a dirt diva make her yard look spectacular in the hot summer sun with the least amount of mental and physical labor?" The answer is twofold: A diverse selection of native plants and a reliable, efficient timer controlling your drip system.

Buchholz recommends Ceanothus (California Lilac) and Archtostaphylos (Manzanita), two easy native shrubs. "Both are evergreen, yet require little water. Additionally, both plants can be found in a variety of forms from ground covers all the way to tree-like large shrubs. Ceanothus boasts lovely purple to blue flowers in the late spring or early summer that are enjoyed by bees & butterflies. Archtostaphylos is admired for its twisted, smooth, orange to mahogany colored trunks & branches, a true California classic."

Okay Buchholz, I understand the beauty of Ceanothus but Manzanita puts me to sleep. How about some color for us Type-A gardeners who want our backyards plants blooming and strutting like flamboyant rock stars?

I sensed he rolled his eyes, but we we're on the phone so I can't say for sure. Some perennials he suggests are Erigeron glaucus 'Cape Sebastian which' is a native replacement for the ubiquitous Santa Barbara daisy as well as many varieties of native Salvia, or Sage, such as Salvia Clevelandii, or Salvia 'Bee's Bliss'. Other colorful water wise natives to consider are Mimulus (Monkey Flower) varieties, Iris douglasiana and Fremontodendron (Flannel Bush), which requires almost no water and features nice structural form, fig-like leaves, and large yellow flowers. And for striking year-round blue-gray foliage color, plant groupings of Festuca idahoensis.

Replacing your lawn with a low-growing ground cover that requires less mowing, maintenance and water is the way of the future. If your lawn has light foot traffic, you may want to try these ground covers instead: Prunella incisa,Chamomile, Creeping thyme, Lippia, Scotch or Iris moss.

For more native plant information with photos, pick up a copy of California Native Plants for the Garden published by Cachuma Press In the meantime, remind you local nursery staff that "green is the new pink!" It's time to order a broad selection of native plants.

Grisso has some recommendations to conserve water this summer:

This will keep you from fainting when you see your summer water bill . . .

1.Reduce the run times on your irrigation system by lowering the minutes per cycle. (Reduce the run times by 2 minutes for every ten minutes set.)

2. Replace turf with low water use state natives, which once established, will adapt to grow in our climate with no watering in the summer.

3.Install drip irrigation with 1/2 gallon emitters and heavily mulch.

4.Irrigate between midnight and 6am to reduce water loss from evaporation and wind.

Visit Annie at dirtdiva.com and bring your friends!

Conserving Water This Summer In Your Yard

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Building and Remodeling - What Does Green Mean?

!±8± Building and Remodeling - What Does Green Mean?

There is a lot of chatter, these days, about "going green" in homebuilding and remodeling, but what does "green" really mean? House hunters and homeowners wanting to make a positive environmental impact are finding that green can mean virtually anything a marketer says it does. As with every other growing consumer trend, a variety of marketers have discovered the sales boost a green claim can give, and it's sometimes difficult to distinguish facts from hype.

No universal standard yet

It would certainly be helpful if there were an "official" definition for what makes a building, project, or product "green," but, at this point, there isn't. At least, not yet, but it's coming. The National Association of Homebuilders is working on a national green building standard, and they have certified several hundred contractors in green building practices. There are also organizations that provide levels of certification for homes and remodels built with green features, such as the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council with its LEED certification program. Similar certification programs exist in many states, and even in some municipalities. For consumer appliances, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the ENERGY STAR rating system. However, the "green" field is so wide, that with many products and materials, and even with some supposedly "green built" homes, consumers are still on their own in determining the legitimacy of green claims. The caveat here is the same as with any other type of consumer purchase: whatever the size of your project, doing thorough research up front will help you make choices you'll be satisfied with, not just when the project's done, but for years to come.

Common features of green built projects

Despite the absence of a universal standard, green built projects do tend to have a number of features in common. If you want your own project to create a positive impact -- on the environment, on your comfort and health, and even on your utility bills -- you now have more choices than ever in eco-friendly designs, methods, and materials. Generally speaking, if your project can incorporate one or more of the following features, you're on the right track.

Site the project in such a way that: The new structure will make use of natural heating and cooling principles such as shade and passive solar. The construction process and the building itself have a minimal adverse impact on the site.

Reuse an existing structure rather than build a new one.Deconstruct rather than demolish, if all or part of an existing structure must be replaced. Reuse materials from the old structure where possible.Consider using salvaged materials from other sources.Use materials made from recycled content where possible.Recycle as much project waste as possible.Use building materials efficiently.Use energy efficiently:Incorporate insulation into structural members (e.g., structural insulated panels) as well as walls and attic. Use low-e (low emissivity) windows. Use a high-efficiency heating/cooling system. Design to recycle waste heat. Design-in lighting fixtures that utilize fluorescent or halogen bulbs, rather than incandescent bulbs.

Choose materials and products with low or no toxic emissions (e.g., wall board, cabinets, carpets, paint and other finishes).Choose sustainably harvested natural products (e.g., wood products that are certified sustainably harvested, bamboo flooring, carpets made of natural fibers).
Choose materials, where possible, that come from local sources (e.g., local quarries for stone, or anything that didn't have to get shipped long distances).Use water efficiently:

Use water-saving appliances, such as low-flow or dual flush toilets and a tankless water heater. Design to recycle wastewater (greywater systems). Design to capture and store rainwater (sometimes called rainwater harvesting). Choose landscaping that is climate-appropriate (e.g., if you're living in a permanently arid climate, consider xeriscaping instead of sod). If you choose landscaping that will need irrigation, design-in a drip, soaker, or emitter system controlled by a climate-sensor and timing device.


Choose what's right for you

There's room for flexibility. "Going green," says energy writer Marilyn Lewis, "can mean anything from where and how you build a home to the appliances and materials you pick, to strategies for cutting water and energy waste." This applies to remodeling projects as well. If you can't do as much as you'd like because of budget or other considerations, heed Lewis's advice: it's OK, you can be "a little bit green." Know what you want out of your new space, and do your "homework." Even a few carefully chosen features can help to lower your energy bills, improve your family's comfort and health, and potentially even improve the resale value of your home.

Building and Remodeling - What Does Green Mean?

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