Lawn-Free Garden Tour

Episode 2: "What-To-Grow-Instead-Of-A-Lawn

Last month I went on a garden tour that highlighted gardens that were river-friendly and water-wise. The tour (and park exhibit) were sponsored by a community-based group that called themselves the, Elk Grove Greener Gardens Project!

Here are some of the gardens I liked the best.

I like 3 things about this first garden. One: the dry stream bed is nicely done, curvy with some partially blocked areas. Two, the courtyard walls (although you can't see it so much here) were rounded to accomodate a tree ... so much better than a rectangle! Three: the contrasting foliage. I believe the gray-blue is a lavender, with Golden Breath of Heaven, Coleonema 'Sunset Gold', behind it. This is an important point to remember when choosing landscape materials. You can take a garden from bland to beautiful with contrast, and one of the best ways to achieve it is with foliage. Designer, Roberta Walker, did a lovely job!

Same home ... with better view of the courtyard and showing more of the "come-alive" effect of having contrasting foliage  (here, Snow-in-Summer, Cerastium tomentosum, is the star of the show with it's white mounding flowers and gray leaves). Imagine this space with a plain green lawn. Imagine it with all green shrubs. Isn't this better?

A young neighbor boy was happy to assist on tour day. Courtyards are a great trend in landscapes today ... they make use of your front "acreage" and bring life to the neighborhood.

This home also has a nice stream bed and while not a courtyard, this home also has a porch area that the homeowners enjoy. When you have an interesting front yard that invites wildlife, it's more fun to sit outside.

This homeowner loves color, and filled her yard with it. Not all of her plants are drought tolerant, but with the absence of a lawn, there's ample water to maintain these and still be under her "water budget" (a term the water providers use when calculating the combined water needs of a desirable water-wise landscape).

I got to peak at her back yard, too! Yep, more color!

One of my favorite elements of the day, this divider made of wood and copper pipe. A stylish space divider that tied in with the plantings ...

 ... a nearby Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca pendula',

and, the Blue Fescue, Festuca ovina glauca. 

Thanks to my admiration of his front yard, I was invited to take a look at his back yard. More turquoise - too charming, wouldn't you agree?

My final favorite was this garden. I like the retaining walls, but was especially fascinated with their incorporation of a rain garden behind same walls! 

A close-up of the dry-stacked wall, with a variety of water-wise plants: Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina), Shore Juniper (Juniperus conferta), Creeping Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus) and Bearberry, (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).

And, hiding behind that wall, a water-retaining area that will absorb the run-off which will percolate into the soil and recharge our ground water system.

It was a fun day, and as these tours tend to go, you gradually get to know other garden enthusiasts!!!

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Water-Wise in Sacramento

Correct me if I'm wrong (as if!), but all the water providers in our area have a free service in which they'll make a house call and assess your water useage in and out of your house.

Since it's the first step to applying for many of the water conservation rebates (more later), and since I plan to help others take advantage of these programs (more later ... when? don't know), I called and set up my appointment and met with my water agency rep a couple of weeks ago.

I WAS FASCINATED! There are about 25 or so water agencies for our area. Each has its own billing, its own water sources ... some are public utilities, some, like mine (California American Water) are privately owned. My agency gets its water from wells! Where are these wells? Maybe in my own neighborhood. I'll tell you this, I'm on the lookout for some chainlink with wooden slats surrounding a tank and a sign that says "Keep Out" ... I think that's where I'll find the well. Because it's "ground water" the soil has percolated most impurities out, so the water doesn't need much treatment. It's hard water because of all these minerals it has to pass thru. I love knowing the whole picture.

One thing I don't have the whole picture on is the politics of water. While we've been dozing in our backyards, legislators and governmental agencies have been putting together laws and programs that will change how we use our water in our homes. Today I attended a workshop to get further information. I agree with a lot of these changes, but it's going to be a radical shift from the days when we turned on our faucets (sprinklers, showers, hot tubs) with little thought to where the water came from. In the meantime, there are these enticing rebates ... for turf removal, washing machines, rain gardens and, toilets.

Jessica (my water conservation specialist) told me about how many gallons of water would be saved by changing my faucet head to the aerator (360 gallons/month for a 2 person household), or by changing to an approved toilet (3.5 gallons/flush) ... and I began the process of appreciating water as a commodity that can be wasted or spent wisely. While these indoor conservation efforts can result in an expected 15% savings of water, the real savings will be outside ... via reduced turf, improved irrigation efficiency and better choices of plant materials.

I'm not conservative by nature ... I'm a person who "wants it all." That's still my agenda, but now "all" also includes good for me, good for my neighbors and good for my rivers and waterways. Not such a burden when you think of it that way.

There's still plenty of fun to be had, call me if you want some help!


Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.