— by Nan Sterman
My phone has been ringing off the hook (do phones still have hooks?) and my inbox is overflowing with queries from people asking for help removing their lawns, designing new gardens, and redesigning outdated gardens.
Finally, Californians are getting the message. No longer can we afford to support thirsty tropical and temperate climate landscapes. Lawns are neither sustainable, nor appropriate for office parks, street medians, shopping centers, or most home gardens.
We’ve returned to this issue many times on A Growing Passion and we continue to explore it.
In the meantime, my advice to people who want to change their landscapes is this: Plan before you plant.
Artificial turf is not a good lawn substitute for many reasons, among them, it grows weeds if you don’t wash it regularly.
My stomach churns when I see plants replaced with rock mulch. Rock mulch supports garden plants, it doesn’t replace them. Rock as a garden is downright ugly. Light colored rock is glaringly bright in sunlight. Rock is hot. Rock has no life.
And please, no artificial turf. Artificial turf is plastic outdoor carpet. Like rock, it is hot. It doesn’t sequester atmospheric carbon like living plants do. It doesn’t cool the atmosphere the way living plants do. It needs washing to stay clean. It grows weeds.
Like carpet, artificial turf has an 8- to 15-year lifespan. What happens to it after that? Some components of artificial turf are supposed to be recyclable but good luck finding a company that recycles it. In about 15 years, our landfills will be overflowing with yards and yards of green plastic.
And here’s a news flash: your dog doesn’t mistake artificial turf for grass either.
First, make a plan for your new garden.
So what’s a well-meaning homeowner to do with an overly thirsty landscape? Plan now when it’s hot, then wait for the cool temperatures of fall, winter, and early spring to plant.
Start your plan with a list of uses for your new garden. Do you want an outdoor kitchen? A patio? Herb garden? Drought tolerant fruit trees?
Think about the style of garden that suits your home’s architecture. Match a modern style home with a minimalist modern garden or one with many architectural plants. Match a Spanish style home with a Mediterranean style garden, and so on.
Very few home owners or home gardeners have the skills to design a waterwise garden. Instead, hire a landscape designer to create a plan. Here’s an article I wrote about about how to work with landscape designers.
Upgrade your irrigation. There’s no point creating a new, drought-tolerant garden then watering it with old water-wasting irrigation.
An unthirsty Mediterranean style garden fits this Mediterranean style home. Switch to in-line drip irrigation, which is the most efficient and least problematic type of drip irrigation. Many licensed landscape contractors know how to install these systems.
If you are thinking of hiring your gardener to install your garden, think again. Gardeners have valuable skills but few have the comprehensive skill-set for this job. A licensed landscape contractor is your go-to person. Talk to their references before signing on the dotted line.
Whether you go with natives, or a combination of natives and other dry growing Mediterranean climate plants, the goal is to create a beautiful and living garden, that is sustainable for years to come.
Well said Nan! My own gardens for the past 20 years have been completely turf free, and as habitat gardens there what draws in everything we want in a an living space people surrounded by beauty, and sustaining our environment. I agree with every point that you outlined…no artificial turf! No carpets of rock! For beauty and style long-term results begin with a knowledgeable person who knows plant, that usually means a designer. And of course unless a homeowner really knows how to properly install an irrigation system, and in this case it’s usually going to be a drip irrigation system, the contractor will ensure long term results. Thank you !