October 2008 Message from the Council President

It’s Easy Begin Green

How I said farewell to my lawn, learned to save water, money, and help nature.

You wouldn’t know we are in a drought judging from the daily watering of lawns across our county. To keep wide expanses of lawns green they need a generous dose of the Earth’s most precious commodity - WATER.

When I take an early morning walk around the neighborhood, I often have to walk in the street to avoid getting a shower from sprinklers. Some sprinklers leave a stream of runoff draining over sidewalks into gutters. It’s sometimes a challenge to understand that we actually live in an arid climate.

I, too, had my green lawns in front and back. They were always thirsty, needed annual doses of chemicals to keep green and weed free. I never liked using chemicals and eventually stopped. But I kept watering and the crabgrass stretch keeping it lush and green.

Then I saw an advertisement in our local paper promoting a Water Wise House Call by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

The ad hinted at a program which would help conserve water and give home owners the information they needed to plant a garden suitable for our arid climate. A trained water surveyor would come to your home and review your water use and advise you on how to be more water efficient.

I called and a water surveyor did come. He told me that we qualified for a refund up to $1,000 on materials, including drought resistant plants, permeating groundcover (not lawn), and drip lines (not sprinklers) and gave me a packet with information about how to plan a low-water garden. The packet listed the plants allowed by the program and detailed how to make a California Native Garden which would reduce water use and be more suitable for the local wild life, too.

So I stopped watering my lawns and soon we had a yellow, dry yard, looking very much like residents of the “The Golden State.” Meanwhile I drew up many plans of what to do, which was actually the hardest part. It required thinking out of the “lawn” box and spending hours studying the many books at the library about water wise gardening, California’s native flora, and gardening designs and planners. I also began to notice yards without lawns and took a closer look at one of them. The home owner, a friend of mine, changed his yard years ago. His goal was to have everything be fruit, berry, herb, or vegetable. He provides us and a local food bank with a wide array of seasonable produce.

Eventually I came up with a plan and our gardener helped me make it reality.

The front yard has a meandering gravel path around our large maple tree. Along the fence line is a mini orchard with 5 fruit trees that will in the years to come provide our favorite fruits. There is a section with blue berries, goose berries, and currant for picking, pies, and jams. There are seeds of California poppy and other wild flowers hidden everywhere. They should come following the rainy season. The gardener created a small mound that became a rock garden with California native plants such as yarrow, lilac, and native grasses.

In the back yard we kept a tiny lawn, but reduced its size by half. We used gravel around our patio to reduce the lawn area and added lush beds of native flowers, grasses, and berry bushes. The lawn is so small it does not require installation of sprinkler systems; it is covered by micro sprayers. The new and larger kitchen garden supplied us and many friends with vegetables through the Summer and is watered by drip lines and the micro sprayers.

With these changes we were able to reduce our water bill by fifty percent.

Our yard has also gained something it never had as a lawn. It has personality and several small areas to linger. My favorite part is the iron arch and gate that leads into the front yard through our hedge. “It’s like a secret, English garden,” one of my neighbors told me. “It’s so inviting,” another said. Neighbors stop by and tell us that they really like what we have done. That gives me a chance to tell them about the Water Wise program and I have noticed several yards changing and lawns disappearing.

The best of all is that butterflies, bees, and birds have returned, attracted by the local flora. There is nothing more beautiful than a monarch sitting atop the large yarrows.

If you are concerned about your utility bill and want to reduce your water use, go to the Santa Clara Valley Water District web site (www.valleywater.org) and to sign up for a FREE Water Wise House Call. House Calls are available for Santa Clara County residents. Call (800) 548-1882 to schedule an appointment. San Jose Water Company customers should call (408) 279-7900 to schedule an appointment.

POP has a Green team. If Green is your passion talk to Pastor Jim.

Get Involved, Share your Talents,


Susanne MacDougall

Council President