Because of California’s drought, the days of having bright green lawns may be a thing of the past.
This is an issue that we all knew was coming sooner or later. Establishing the design criteria for drought tolerance is an important issue, one that is much more important than just considering the implications of lawn versus no lawn. Lawns are a part of our heritage, perhaps no less than Mom and apple pie. It is a throwback to our more agrarian past with visions of the pastures of Scotland and Ireland.
Our entire outlook on residential landscapes has been shaped around a meandering green space surrounded by trees and shrubs, not unlike a meadow in its natural setting; that is ringed by native vegetation. We have intentionally placed our homes into a forest-like setting, and we like it that way. We have chosen to not live in a desert for a reason.
Now we are being asked to take out the meadow and replace it with something else, something that will most often not fit neatly into our little man-made forest.
One of the most valuable assets of turf is the cooling effect on its immediate surroundings. Most drought-tolerant landscapes do not come close to providing this benefit, so the inclusion of large shrubs and trees are an important consideration when designing a drought-tolerant landscape, especially in hot and arid environments..
One of the most important considerations in regards to this change to landscape design is going to be property values. This is especially valid in newer residential neighborhoods and planned communities. Let’s cut to the chase here and consider a couple of scenarios, one being that a well-planned, drought-tolerant landscape is going to require a considerable amount of knowledge regarding landscape design, as well as skill and money to implement the design.
After that comes accepting the labor of love required to keep the landscape attractive for its usable lifetime. This is not going to be an easy nor inexpensive proposition, but it will be necessary to create and maintain our landscaped environments to the standards to which we have become accustomed.
Now, consider that after you have spent thousands of dollars to meet this goal, that your neighbor chooses to cover his property with red rock and cactus. Your $10,000 investment just went down the drain, along with your property value.
This is why it is imperative that some type of standards are considered to assure that our neighborhoods retain a feel of continuity instead of some free-for-all attitude where anything goes. This is doubly important in planned communities.
Some important considerations will be things like the percentage of landscape area that will be covered by shade, how much bare soil will be allowed, what will be the maintenance requirements and will those requirements be comparable among the neighboring properties, especially if there are shared maintenance costs involved.
Even a drought-tolerant landscape will require some level of irrigation. This, too, will have its challenges. Traditionally, fixed-spray systems (“sprinklers”) have been used to irrigate our landscape plantings. Most of us are have grown familiar with these spray irrigation systems. Ideally, they distribute water evenly throughout the plantings. Although this is the most effective type of irrigation, it is not necessarily the most efficient, because much water is wasted due to runoff and evaporation.
The most common alternative to conventional fixed spray systems is the use of low-volume water distribution systems, commonly referred to as “drip irrigation”.
Drip irrigation can be much more efficient than conventional irrigation, but it too is not without its shortcomings. One common mistake homeowners and professionals make is not providing adequate soil=area wetting. Most drip systems are designed to provide a small amount of water to a small area, with separate emitters being placed at or near each plant. One of the consequences of using this type of irrigation is the risk of plants becoming dependent on this small amount of water for their hydration needs. Plants need more than just hydration, plants get their nutrition from the soil in its immediate proximity. If a plant is only getting its water from one small area, then it is also dependent on getting its nutrients from this same area. This is why it is important that as much of the soil around a plant is as hydrated as is possible, and that as the plant size increases, that its irrigated area increases accordingly. This is one area where most low-volume irrigation systems fall short.
Another consideration with low-volume irrigation systems is the durability of the system itself. With a conventional spray-irrigation system, the majority of the system is made of durable materials and buried underground, with only a few hardy fixtures above ground. With the traditional drip system, nearly all of the parts are above ground and at the mercy of the sun, wind, plants and animals, both the two-legged and four-legged. This type of irrigation system can have hundreds of parts, many of which are stuck together like Tinker Toys. So, if low-volume irrigation is to be used, it must be very well-designed and installed.
In the end one of the most important considerations will be the design of the irrigation systems to assure that the irrigation is designed for low-maintenance, while at the same time allows enough flexibility to accommodate the growth of the plants and allows for future design changes to the landscape.
Consulting with landscape designers and architects is a good start, but one should do their own research as well to determine what opportunities and challenges their unique environments will present. In the interest of maintaining community cohesiveness it will be important to keep in mind that whatever you do on your property, it will have a lasting effect on your neighbors’ property, too.
It is of utmost importance that uniform landscape design criteria are implemented so that everyone in a given neighborhood is designing to similar goals. For planned communities considering implementing new drought=tolerant standards, it is imperative that due diligence is used in establishing these guidelines. Whether it is an individual or a committee that is going to be implementing these new guidelines, people should do their own homework. Read as many books and articles as you can, but more importantly, get out into the community, or better yet, travel to other communities that have been dealing with drought issues for some time and gather from them as much information as you can before setting your new standards in stone.
Click here for City of Redding water regulations.
Click here for water conservation tips from the Shasta Community Service District.
Jeff L Haynes founded the Redding-based Commercial Landscape Services in 1978, and has worked in horticulture since 1971. When not working in horticulture and landscaping, his interests include almost any outdoors activity. He likes music, and also cooks on his 2,000-pound barbecue on wheels, upon which he cooks for parties of up to 200 guests. His associations include the Shasta Farm Bureau, Shasta Land Trust, Redding Sunrise Rotary and Friends of the River. He may be reached via email at jl.haynes@att.net.
