pdf presentation

The 21st Century Landscape is Here:
Water Wise Landscape Alternatives
12:00 pm
Eileen Kelly
Landscape Designer
Dig Your Garden Landscape Design
www.digyourgarden.com
Traditional Lawn Alternatives –
A Landscape Designer’s Perspective
-Landscape Design Strategies to Minimize
or Replace the Traditional Lawn
-Low-water Plants and Hardscape Alternatives
-Creating biodiversity
-Techniques and Resources
-Unprecedented drought
-This past January set a record for the lowest
rainfall in recorded history
-We must make substantial changes regarding
how we use water in the landscape
Lawn through history
-Dates back to the 17th and 18th
centuries in France and England
-Brought to American’s suburban
landscapes in the 19th and early
20th centuries
-Became a status symbol of wealth
and the American dream
-Some homeowners are
nostalgic about their lawns
-Reminders of their
childhood
-The smell of fresh cut grass
-An ideal surface for sports
and family fun.
-Traditional water-thirsty
lawns are no longer viable
in California
-We must make substantial
changes regarding how we
use water in the landscape
-There are many
alternatives
Sedges:
-are cousins to grasses
-can function as a
traditional lawn
-don’t require mowing
-less water
requirements
Growth after several months
Carex Pansa - 3 months after planting
Photos/Design: Sherri Osaka, Landscape Architect
Dymondia margaretae
(Silver Carpet)
Lose the Lawn
Gain a Garden
Lawn Minimized
And Replaced With
Decomposed Granite
(DG)
Gravel
Design: Mary Fisher Landscape Design
Design: Mary Fisher Landscape Design
Dry Creek Bed and Boulders
Mulch
Edibles Gardens
Design: Amy Whitworth, Garden Designer
Meadows
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden - Photo: GardenSoft
Convert Your Lawn With
“Sheet Mulching”
An effective technique of
layering biodegradable
cardboard over a lawn or
other undesirable plants to
breakdown and suppress
plant growth.
More about Sheet Mulching:
www.bayfriendlycoalition.org
www.stopwaste.org
-Trees, shrubs and any plants can be
planted through the sheet mulched
cardboard.
-In this example, holes are cut in the
cardboard for planting
-Then topped with compost and mulch
-Cardboard/mulch layers break down
unwanted lawn/plants/ below
-Suppresses new weed growth
-Reduces maintenance
-Improves nutrient and water retention
in the soil
-Encourages beneficial soil microbial
activity
More about Sheet Mulching:
www.bayfriendlycoalition.org
www.stopwaste.org
Use low-water
California Natives
And Plants From Other
Mediterranean Climates
Increasing the plant
palette creates
biodiversity and
natural ecosystems
Choose plants companions
that have the same
water requirements.
Choose plants appropriate
for the site’s conditions.
Succulents can thrive
through extreme drought,
and are great companions to
other low-water plants
-Work with experienced and knowledgeable
professionals for landscape and plant design
-Proper irrigation design, installation and
scheduling is critical to conserve water
-Use maintenance professionals who follow
eco-friendly practices and adjust the
irrigation controllers seasonally
A very helpful resource that classifies plants and
their water needs:
WUCOLS – Landscape Water-Use Planning Tool
http://www.waterwonk.us/
Benefits of Minimizing Or
Replacing Traditional Lawn
With A Diverse Plant Palette:
-Lower water usage
-Less maintenance/lawn mowing
-Minimizes or eliminate chemical
fertilizers and pesticides
-Safer environment
for families and pets
-Supports sustainable landscaping
-A bio diverse environment
attracts beneficial insects….
-Provides natural habitats,
shelter and food
for the birds, the bees
and the butterflies.
Resources:
7 Principles of Bay Friendly Landscaping and Gardening
http://www.bayfriendlycoalition.org/principles.shtml
Sheet Mulching
http://stopwaste.org/preventing-waste/residents/loseyour-lawn-gain-a-garden
WUCOLS Landscape Water-Use Planning Tool
http://www.waterwonk.us/
You can also find this resource listings on my website:
www.digyourgarden.com
Thank You!
Eileen Kelly
Thanks for Coming!
All Water Conservation Showcase
presentations will be available at
www.usgbc-ncc.org/water2015
Attendees are responsible for self
reporting their CEU hours. USGBC-NCC
will send an email post-event with the all
of the course ID numbers.
Event Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency
Point Energy Innovations
Waste Management