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Check out our new Water-Wise Gardening website, based on climate and other factors specific to the Tri-Valley region. The site will help you design your landscape and includes photographs, a searchable plant database, water-saving tips and more!!!
To access the site, click here!
Sunday, May 2 -- Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. A self-guided tour of 50 Alameda and Contra Costa county gardens (Zone 7 Water Agency is a co-sponsor). For information, click here, or go to http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/.
Guidelines for Landscaping and Irrigating Wisely
In the average California home, about half the water used goes to gardens -- which most people overwater by 20-40 percent! If we design our landscape with water conservation in mind, and then water those plants wisely, we would make a serious dent in water demand -- and still have beautiful gardens to enjoy.
Find out about the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) weather station at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, which can help people refine the amount of water used for local irrigation. The data is available online at www.cimis.water.ca.gov.
WATER-FRIENDLY IRRIGATION PRACTICES
SCROLL DOWN FOR THESE TIPS:
- Fundamentals of Water Conservation in the Yard
- Choosing Plants Wisely
- Ways to Reduce Irrigation Water Waste
Fundamentals of Water Conservation in the Yard
(These tips are adapted from Sunset Magazine's "Water Wise Gardening for California" and information from the California Association of Nurserymen)
- Use water-conserving plants in your landscape. There are many samples listed in the following sections.
- Choose plants that are naturally adapted to your area's climate.
- Group plants wisely. Place thirsty plants together and drought-resistant plants elsewhere. This practice is known as hydro-zoning.
- Limit turf areas. Lawns need more water than most other types of plants. Consider hard-scapes like patios and decks or use groundcovers to supplement grassy areas.
- Where possible, use permeable paving, such as gravel or flagstones with space between them, so water can run off and be more available to nearby plants.
- Improve your soil. Cultivate it regularly, and add organic matter to help the soil resist evaporation and better retain moisture.
- Mulch to slow erosion, retain moisture, and reduce weeds. Weeds steal water from other desirable plants. A 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch spread beneath the canopy of a plant is ideal.
- Keep plants healthy. They'll be better able to withstand dry periods and pests.
- Care for container plants by grouping them to shade one another. Keep them as shaded as they'll tolerate to reduce moisture loss.
- Aerate (punch holes) in the lawn and de-thatch (rake) to remove dead grass. Spread organic material in holes to draw water down to root zone. This will also help reduce runoff.
- Set the mower height higher during the hot season to allow grass to grow 2 to 3 inches long. Longer grass cools the surface and reduces evaporation.
- Keep lawn well fertilized with a well-balanced mix that encourages deep roots. Nitrogen-only products stimulate thirsty, new growth.
Community volunteers tend to Granada Native Gardens, located near Stanley and Murrieta boulevards in Livermore, which features many drought-tolerant plants.
Choosing Plants Wisely
Some plants are better suited to California's arid climate than others. By choosing plants that can survive on minimal water once established, you will reduce your long-term demand significantly. Listed below are dozens of groundccovers, shrubs, flowers, trees and grasses that require only minimal amounts of water.
The drought-tolerant plants shown below
were photographed in yards in Livermore, Pleasanton & Dublin!
Ground Covers
Yarrow
Manzanita
Snow in Summer
Chamomile
Indian Strawberry
Fleabane
Sulfur Flower
Coral Bells
Spreading Juniper
Evening Primrose
Lavendar Cotton
Santolina
Thyme Orange Sticky Monkey
Shrubs
Manzanita
Strawberry Tree
Sandhill Sage
Dusty Miller
Ceanothus
Rock Rose
Sunrose
Juniper
Mountain Mahogany
Smoke Tree
Oregon Grape
Toyon-Christmas Berry
Coffeeberry Ceanothus
Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs
Allium
Alyssum
Windflower
Thrift (Sea Pink)
Cosmos
Foxglove
Blanket Flower
Daylily
Iris
Lily
Daffodil
California Poppy Douglas Iris
Rose Moss
Lamb's Ear
Trees
Maidenhair Tree
Golden Rain Tree
Crape Myrtle
Holly Oak
Locust
Hackberry
Japanese Pagoda Tree
Chinese Flame Tree
Chinese Pistache
Western Redbud Dudleya Cymosa
Incense Cedar
Grasses
Tall Fescues
Hybrid Bermudas
Zoysia
Ways to Reduce Irrigation Water Waste
It is quite possible to maintain beautiful yards with green grassy areas, lush floral beds and wonderful shade trees, without using tons of water. The trick is to use water judiciously. Here are some tips for irrigating your garden efficiently:
- Only water when plants are dry. Push a finger down in the soil an inch or two to check.
- Water your lawn early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not hot and the winds are low. This will minimize evaporation, which wastes water and deposits salts and minerals in the soil.
- Water deeply to improve roots growth, which will help plants and trees survive drought periods better.
- Study your soil and watch to see if it drains well or not. If you have clay soil you can avoid wasteful run-off by pulse-irrigating, which means watering the lawn in short intervals allowing for a break in between so water can soak in. This works well on slopes, too.
- Build basins around trees and shrubs to minimize run-off. This is also especially important on slopes.
- Adjust watering schedules with the season and the weather. Don't let your auto-sprinkler system stay on one schedule year round, and don't let it go off on a rainy day.
- Water only the target areas. Adjust sprinkler heads to avoid driveways and sidewalks or the sides of the house.
- Keep your sprinkler system is good shape. Check it regularly for leaks, clogs or misdirected emitters and heads.
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