There isn’t that much heather at the home of Andy and Vivian Walker on Heather Place in Woodland, but their front yard is still a mix of native and exotic plants that pulls in bees and hummingbirds.
The Walker’s residence was one of 10 stops on the City of Woodland’s third free Water-Wise Landscape Tour Saturday, offered to explore attractive, water-efficient landscapes.
“Water-wise landscapes not only reduce water consumption and reduce potential of pollution discharges into the storm water system, they can also beautify a home, lower maintenance, and provide welcome habitat for beneficial insects and birds,” according to Wayne Blanchard, water conservation coordinator for the city’s Public Works Department.
The Walker’s agreed.
Andy, a professor of viticulture at UC Davis, said the front yard of their home on the quiet cul de sac has gone through many iterations over the past decades, but its present mix is both attractive and water smart.
The couple have lived in the home for 24 years, and Andy said there was no definitive plan on how to go about building the yard itself.
“It’s been a lot of work, and I’ll work on it now every couple of months, putting in little bits and pieces,” Walker explained as people started arriving to check out the home.
There were around 100 people who signed up for the tour this year, about the same as in previous years, city officials explained.
“During warm weather months residential customers with traditional lawn landscapes allocate, sometimes unknowingly, about 50 percent of their water use to landscape irrigation,” Blanchard said earlier as a reason for the tour. “A properly designed water-wise landscape can easily cut outdoor water consumption in half during those warm months.”
The Walker’s home was one of 10 sites to be visited. The example landscapes represented a wide variety of settings, approaches and features, including an excellent before-and-after example at 829 Lewis Ave., where owner Sandra Jennings-Jones was able to work around an existing redwood tree and a birch tree grove in this medium-sized front yard.
The landscaping incorporated a dry creek bed to reduce runoff, a flagstone walkway, mounded plantings of drought-tolerant plants, and a seating area for enjoying the results.
Jennings-Jones said, “After installing a water-wise garden, I spend less time maintaining the yard and more time enjoying the view.”
Blanchard said the inspiration for the tour came from residents’ interest in learning first-hand about successful water-wise landscaping in Woodland, including plant selections, designs and landscaping techniques.
Andy Walker, who noted that this was the second time the home was featured, said he loves plants. But he also offered that the “tricky part” was getting the right plants in place that could compliment one another.
He noted that local wildlife seem to enjoy the front yard. There is a constant stream of bees and hummingbirds, seeking out pollen and nectar from the different species of plants.
The homes were selected over the past year by a city intern, who does code enforcement work to make sure people are not overwatering their yards. If the intern spots a “water-wise” home, an invitation will be made to be part of an upcoming tour.
Blanchard said the program is expected to continue.
“We plan on offering this series again in 2015,” he said earlier. “The workshop has been well received the last three years and allows those on the verge of doing this sort of transformation an opportunity to study issues in more depth.”
The self-guided tour continued until early afternoon, and demonstrated how homeowners often removed existing plant material, prepared the sites, addressed challenges and set up irrigation systems.
Homeowners volunteers with Yolo County Master Gardener Program served as tour guides.
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