California Now in Drought Emergency
By Vanessa Richins
On Feb 27th, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that California was in a state of drought emergency, after 3 years of drought conditions.
Los Angeles County is scheduled to start rationing water, and other areas are sure to follow.
California isn’t the only state facing water shortages.
Las Vegas offered residents $1.50 a square foot to tear out their lawns. Other cities are imposing restrictions and encouraging residents to conserve.
Xeriscape gardening is one way to conserve water in your yard. The name doesn’t translate to “cactus and rocks” – in fact, there are a wide variety of plants that are drought tolerant.
Years ago I worked at a xeriscape demonstration garden. I was always amazed by one of the sections. They had not watered it at all after the first year of establishment (except for individual plants once in a while if they were having problems). They simply used plants that were native to the area.
There were also some interesting lawns there. They used warm season native grasses – blue grama grass and buffalograss. While they won’t win any awards for being the perfect green lawn, they use far less water and tolerate heat well.
Even if you want to keep your Kentucky bluegrass or fescue, perhaps you could consider reducing at least part of your yard. You should also contact your local water conservancy district. Many of them will come do a water analysis of your yard to help you water your lawn properly. Most people turn the sprinklers on far longer than they need to.
I would suggest checking out www.jvwcd.org – the Jordan Valley Water Conservation District. That is the website of the place I worked for. They have plant lists and gardening information. They also have other ways to conserve water in your home. You can also find your local water conservation agency through Google.
Do you use xeriscaping?
March 19th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
While I agree that home owners should replace their gardens with drought tolerant plants and CA natives, the properties with the most lawn that I see are commercial properties. Zoning laws require them to have a certain amount of green space surrounding their buildings, and they all fill it with grass.
March 21st, 2009 at 4:18 am
Yes, that’s another problem. They often seem to over-water them too, and I’ve seen it where they had the sprinklers going while raining, since it was on an auto system. There are a lot of housing zoning laws that also require a certain amount of green. Laws need to be changed to reflect what is more prudent.
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:59 am
I’m finding this, too. I’ve been spending most of my time lately house-hunting, and so many of the suburbs have HOAs with rules prohibiting the removal of lawns in areas visible from the street. That’s why it is taking so long for us to find a house- as soon as I move in, the lawn goes and will be replaced by vegetable and drought tolerant gardens. I hate grass. Thanks for posting this, Vanessa.
May 21st, 2010 at 7:49 pm
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