The timing could not have been better. In the middle of an unprecedented heat wave and a severe drought, Corona last week hosted a class on creating water-efficient gardens.
The instructor, Paula Henson, a landscape designer who has appeared on HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge,” did a good job informing and inspiring about 30 of us at the Corona Public Library.
She will repeat her free class on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the library. The event is sponsored by the city’s Department of Water and Power.
Henson began with a comment that put things in perspective: Corona should have 10 inches of rain by now. (The rainy season began July 1.) So far, we’ve had a half inch of rain, and sources such as the Colorado River are drying up.
In declaring a drought emergency last week, Gov. Jerry Brown warned that restrictions on water use may be tightened. He urged residents and businesses in the state to immediately cut water use by 20 percent.
So what are we to do? A rain dance? No, that’s silly.
Before I attended the class, I would have suggested we change our shopping habits. That’s right, instead of buying plants at 7 Oaks Nursery, let’s go to Michael’s! I actually know someone who would tape fake roses on the plants in front of her house. She’d be out pretending to trim the plants and people would drive by and compliment her on the beautiful roses.
What’s really terrible is that I didn’t think of it first.
One of Henson’s recurring themes was a strong dislike for lawns. They take a lot of water and maintenance, as we all know. But did you know that a lawn requires four feet of water a year to stay healthy, and most of us use twice that amount?
Here’s another eye-opening statistic. For those of us in single-family homes, 60 percent of the water bill is for outdoor landscaping.
But enough negativity. I took notes on ways to use less water in our garden without compromising its appearance. Nothing about Henson’s advice was earth-shattering, but all of it bears repeating.
In fact, we’ve already implemented one of her ideas. Years ago, we dug up the lawn on the side of our home and replaced it with California native plants that use very little water once established. We added plenty of bark to improve the appearance and discourage weeds, and our water bill went way down.
Yet another statistic from Henson: Native plants use 20 percent of what a lawn needs.
The day after class, I took her advice about irrigation, and checked our sprinkler lines. Three were leaking, and now they’re not. My next move was to plant some agapanthus on the same irrigation line as plants with the same watering needs.
Simple, right? Well, most of this is.
Henson is big on using rainwater as a resource. It will rain again some day, probably when the Cubs win the World Series. And when that happens, redirecting downspouts to a garden will make sense. Yet another statistic: For a house with a 1,000-square-foot roof, one inch of rain can mean 600 gallons of water for the garden.
Compost can do wonders for improving the soil, she said. And here’s great news: Just last week, the city council approved an ordinance that allows hens in Corona, and quoting Henson, “Chicken manure is a great fertilizer.”
There’s much more, and I believe it will be worth your time to attend the class on Saturday. Reservations are necessary as space is limited. Send an email to stopthedrop@discovercorona.com or call 951-736-2234. The library is at 650 South Main St.
Riverside County residents have several resources to assist in creating water-wise landscaping.
The Western Municipal Water District (www.wmwd.org) offers online tips as well as its Conservation Garden in Riverside. The Eastern Municipal Water District website (www.emwd.org) has a neat portfolio of photos showcasing residents’ water-efficient landscaping.
And the Metropolitan Water District will offer a class, similar to the one I attended, on Saturday, March 15, from 9 a.m. to noon in Temecula. Visit www.ranchowater.com to sign up.
Contact Peter Fischetti at pfischetti@pe.com.
Speak Your Mind