iDeer Running through Wildlife Corridor in Toopanga State Park, CAPhoto by: venturacountytrails
It is so dry that deer have appeared
on the Pepperdine lawn. Anyone who has spent any time in Malibu or has just
driven up the Pacific Coast Highway has seen that huge expanse of green-covered
hillside that is the front lawn of Pepperdine University. I try not to
think about how much water it takes to keep it green throughout the
summer! Now, it seems that the Santa Monica Mountains are so dry that
deer are bringing their families down to the Pepperdine lawn to drink the
freshly watered lawn, even in January!
California's Drought Emergency
Back in 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown officially declared a drought emergency in California. 2014 had been the state’s
driest year on record, with reservoir levels dropping and no rain in sight. It was the third dry winter in a
row, and the Dept. of Agriculture declared a natural disaster for 27
California Counties, largely because of the impact on agriculture throughout the
State.
Now, fast forward to 2016. We have had 5 years of drought, and this year for the first time ever the Governor had to implement statewide water rationing. He urged us to take a moment to think about how we are all connected to each
other in a time of water crisis, as well as being connected to the plants and animals that live
here.
It is time to be a sustainable
gardener in California. What better time to ditch that lawn?
More than 50
percent of water use goes to landscaping, in particular lawns. Besides being
waterhogs, lawns are unhealthy (to us, to our pets, and to butterflies) because
of the high amount of pesticides used to keep them up.
Why not let your lawn go
brown? There are plenty of websites and videos that can show you how
to lose your lawn, incl. what grass removal method would work best for you, such as the easy and popular lasagna style.
What will replace my lawn?
1. You can remove entire lawns and
replace them with Zen gardens of big boulders and tiny rocks that are raked
into designs.
2. Or, you can plant meadow seed
mixes. Theodore Payne’s Nursery is an excellent source for California native wildflower seeds and grasses.
3. Make your lawn smaller and your
borders deeper. Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your borders. I love Salvias for their drought-tolerance and variety.
4. Make a center island design for a
native plant or pollinator garden in the center of your lawn.
Other
water saving measures without losing the lawn include:
5.
Reduce your water use in the garden by keeping your topsoil from drying out
using mulch in flower beds and small stones in garden paths.
6.
Capturing gray water from laundry and showers to reuse in watering the
garden. This made a huge difference in my Topanga Canyon garden!
California Gardens Don't Rest in Winter:
In
most of the country, where snow falls and covers the lawns for months, the
ground gets to rest, and the gardener gets to rest, too. Out West, we
try to keep things green all year long even in dry summers. Now
it seems we can’t rely on all that imported water from places like the Colorado
River to keep our manicured lawns looking their best year round. Instead,
we need to make the best use of our precious resources: We need to be more
sustainable gardeners.
Being a Sustainable Gardener:
What
does that mean? To be a sustainable gardener means to use as little of nature’s
resources as possible, and to create gardens that will take care of themselves
for years to come. There is no better proven way to do this than to landscape
with native plants. Native plants are naturally adapted to the conditions
in which they live. While some are more drought-tolerant than others, most
native plants only require extra water when they are first planted and are
getting acclimated.
If
we Southern Californians are serious about living lightly on the land, we have
to remember that the water piped in here is imported, every drop taking away
from the water tables of other places.
Luckily,
our mild autumn weather gives native gardeners an opportunity to still get out
there and make some big changes right now.
Not
sure where to start?
Look
for native plants that do not need a lot of rainfall (drought tolerant).
There are nurseries that
specialize in natives in your area that would be happy to help you
with ideas. Note: Plants called Xeriscape plants are drought tolerant, but are
not necessarily native plants. So if you want to bring a balance to the
ecosystem of your garden, you want to opt for adding drought-tolerant California natives instead of plants from elsewhere.
Contact
the CA Native Plant Society http://www.cnps.org/ for suggestions on choosing
native plants in your region, where to find them, and where to see them.
Some
of my all-time favorite native plants that are drought tolerant and also
beneficial to pollinators include all of the Sages (Salvia): White Sage, Purple Sage,
Black Sage. These are all bee, hummingbird and butterfly magnets, plus they
stay green all year long, creating a nice backdrop for many other natives.
Have
you ditched or reduced your lawn? Do you have any water conserving
tips? If so, we’d love to hear from you~
