Many people have concerns about planting around oak trees and for good reason. Oaks do not tolerate summer irrigation, and those that insist on planting water thirsty plants like lawns near their oaks risk killing their trees by encouraging sudden oak death syndrome or other diseases. So that is why it’s especially important to select natives that are acclimated to this particular hydrozone. Once established, you can reduce or stop irrigation. As a tip, if you install your oak understory in the fall before the rains, you’ll have one season of “free irrigation” under your belt.

Coral Bells or Heuchera are an excellent choice for dry shade groundcover and will take your breath away when planted in large masses. There are many wonderful hybrids of Heuchera to try. For an easy growing choice, use Heuchera ‘Wendy’ with its green leaves, purple veining and tall flower spikes. This evergreen perennial can also be enjoyed in window boxes and will attract hummingbirds that you can watch from indoors.

If you want to entice hummingbirds into the garden, Hummingbird sage is another winner under oaks. Salvia spathacea spreads on its own to create a groundcover with bright pink flowers that bloom typically March through May.

Our Coastal Wood Fern, Dryoperteris arguta, is one of the few ferns that is both drought tolerant and evergreen. Since it can withstand root competition, it’s suitable for under trees like oak, bay and pine. To keep its lush, green appearance, simply remove older fronds as they brown.

Again since it can survive with little supplemental water, Pacific Coast  Iris work wonderfully as an understory plant. Iris douglasiana with  purple flowers or I. douglasiana ‘Canyon Snow’ with white flowers are sure to brighten any oak woodland.

These native plants work especially well with oak communities in the following cities: Portola Valley, Menlo Park, Atherton, Los Altos, Woodside and Hillsborough.

Are you considering going native? Did you know that plants native to our region have many advantages over “traditional” exotic landscaping plants?

Many chaparral, oak woodland and desert communities of California natives actually require less water and maintenance. So you not only save on your water bills, but you save precious time spent pruning and mowing.

Another advantage to our natives is that are conditioned to grow in our native soil types. That means that many do not require special soil amendment beyond compost and actually prefer not to be fertilized. This translates into more money savings on materials and a safer, non-toxic environment for you, your pets and family.

Last but certainly not least, natives attract a wealth of butterflies, birds and beneficial insects (the good bugs that eat the unwanted bugs). It won’t be long before you notice that your native garden is teaming with earthworms and soil microbes which directly affect the health and happiness of your plants, and in turn attract a diverse ecosystem of wildlife.

So why not go native and create your own diverse ecosystem right at home?

You can see this garden and many others on the Going Native Garden Tour Sunday April 17th, 2011
http://www.goingnativegardentour.org/GNGT/Home.html

When building new construction, it’s easiest to get a GreenPoint Rating when you plan it from the start. “Green homes” are home built correctly with quality, sustainable features and construction methods.

According to Build It Green, many people talk about having a green home but aren’t sure where to start.

GreenPoint Rated removes the guesswork by having a Certified GreenPoint Rater evaluate a home’s green features allowing homes to be compared on a level playing field. GreenPoint Rated rewards building professionals and homeowners who create green homes by allowing them to brand their products with a recognizable, trustworthy seal of approval.

The quality home builder, Schiller Construction, hired Julie Orr Design, just after they began the house framing. This gave me the opportunity to review the architect’s plans and make additional suggestions. Tip for homeowners: Hire your landscape designer at the same time you hire your architect. When the two trades work together, you avoid fees for needless revisions.

To begin the process, I reviewed Build It Green’s guidelines and worked together with my landscape contractor at eni-ko to create a sustainable landscape design. To get the most points possible on this project, we addressed the following:

• Permeable hardscape was selected. Stormwater stays onsite, eliminating erosion and contamination while also recharging aquifers.
• Planted non-invasive species that won’t out-compete the native and water-wise plantings.
• No plants require hedging. Plants were chosen and spaced out to allow to optimal growth and natural appearance.
• 75% of plants will be drought tolerant once established (excluding turf). Irrigation may be drastically reduced by 2011.
• Turf is less than 33% of landscape area to conserve water.
• MP rotator spray heads use less irrigation on turf because the rate of application is slower thereby avoiding runoff.
• Shade trees were planted to increase passive cooling to save energy.
• Plants were grouped by hydrozone (similar irrigation requirements) to save water and prevent runoff.
• Efficient drip irrigation used in planter beds.
• Compost added to improve plant health, soil texture, and drainage.
• Wood mulch added: protects plants from moisture loss, adds organic matter to the soil and suppresses weeds.

While the project you envision may not include a GreenPoint rating, this checklist will become the norm in future landscaping. With the growing concern to conserve natural resources, governing agencies like the State of California, are looking at new water model ordinances to make conservation a reality. Although new landscaping regulations will be encouraged and enforced slowly, the time to change our habits is now. Many cities like Portola Valley, CA have already adopted these types of landscape measures.

Green is here to stay. For a green point rated landscape consultation click here.

Going clockwise from the top left, these landscaping lectures cover sustainable topics such as:

1. How to make your  garden more green without breaking the bank

2. How to landscape for the typical suburban sized lot

3. Take the water-wise IQ test. How to turn your water thirsty lawn into a low maintenance, drought resistant garden

4. What does a ecologically designed  garden look like? There is a drought but I don’t want a dry-looking yard so what are my options?

I have removed and reduced many-a-lawn now for clients that are ready to embrace a water-wise garden.

But with so many questions about what to do with lawns, I was glad to find one person to sum it up so nicely.

I recently had the privilege of hearing Sherri Osaka, of Sustainable Landscape Designs, speak on the benefits of Greywater systems. Sherri Osaka has degrees in landscape architecture and engineering, which make her uniquely suited to design and teach sustainable systems.

Ms. Osaka is a life-long organic gardener and a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA); the Sierra Club; the California Native Plant Society; and Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR). Here’s what Sherri had to share about sustainable lawn tips:

I was walking early one morning watching all my neighbor’s sprinkler systems running on their lawns—some of it going into the stormdrains which troubles me. I am a confirmed native plant advocate, but not opposed to lawn in certain circumstances. So here are my dos and don’ts for lawns:

Dos

· Do plant lawn for a play surface. It’s the best play surface you can buy–great for kids, games, sitting on, picnics, walking on, etc.

· Do plant the minimum size that you’ll need and no larger.

· Do select either the front or back yard, whichever is sunniest, and have ONE lawn in the yard for play, that’s it. Very few households need more than one lawn

· Do select a drought-tolerant grass, such as a dwarf fescue and don’t be afraid to over seed with clover which will fix nitrogen from the air

· Do irrigate with subsurface drip irrigation – it is almost twice as efficient as spray irrigation

· Do use a reel mower or electric mower, instead of a gas powered one.

· Do grass cycle – this adds up to one pound of nitrogen per year, allowing you to reduce the amount of fertilizer you add (usually about four pounds of fertilizer a year)

· Do add corn meal gluten as a natural pre-emergent in the early spring to prevent crab grass and to add even more nitrogen.

Don’ts

· Don’t plant lawn in parking strips –it’s just too darn hard to irrigate without run off unless you’re doing subsurface irrigation. And then again, who wants to play a game in a parking strip. Just don’t do it!

· Don’t plan lawn just to look at it. If you are not going to play on it, there are many other alternatives that can provide a low, green area at far less maintenance cost.

· Don’t plant lawn under trees

o Lawn never does really well in the shade of a tree

o Since you are irrigating the lawn shallowly, the tree roots stay at the surface and they become hard to mow around

o As the tree roots get bigger, they impinge on the irrigation lines, cracking them, shifting the spray heads, making it hard to irrigate.

· Don’t plant lawn right next to paved surfaces where overspray can become runoff. Instead surround it with other plantings that will absorb this water.

• • Don’t use petroleum-based, chemical fertilizers, only organic fertilizers. See “The Organic Lawn Care Manual” by Paul Tukey for more info.

With our lack of rainfall this year and pumping restrictions from the delta, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has just changed their position from a voluntary 10% conservation request to a 25% mandatory water restriction effective this year. Depending on your water usage, these limits could prompt higher water bills, brown lawns or future fines (not currently enforced) from the “water police” for water usage during peak times.

Why not reconsider a lawn alternative to your water thirsty, barely used ‘square of green’?

Now is a great time to make the switch since residents in Santa Clara County may qualify for a water rebate simply by replacing lawns with water-wise plants and/or pervious surfaces. As noted on Santa Clara Valley Water District’s website www.valleywater.org, “Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program (WELRP) is designed to assist homeowners and commercial, industrial and institutional property owners by offering a rebate for the removal of thirsty turf grass if replaced with low-water using plants and/or permeable hardscape. Simple changes in plant type and irrigation methods can greatly reduce the water required for an attractive landscape.”

Santa Clara County residents can receive a rebate up to $1,000 (or $75 per 100 sq. feet -whichever is lower). If you reside in Morgan Hill or Palo Alto, you might be eligible for $150 per 100 sq. feet with a residential maximum rebate of $2,000.

Here are a few of the steps involved:

1. Consult with a landscape designer who is familiar with the program. They may give you ideas that you had not previously considered.
2. Contact a Water Wise Consultant (866) 685-2322 to schedule a pre-inspection before removing any lawn area. The lawn to be inspected must be green by the time of inspection. Brown lawns don’t count so make sure you do not stop watering before the inspection.
3. Once the pre-inspection is complete, a letter will be sent informing you whether you are qualified to participate. If you qualify, the application form will accompany the approval letter. The approval letter will spell out how much money (depending on how many square feet of lawn were removed) you can expect to receive in the best case scenario. The rebate amount will be used to reimburse you for the purchase of reimbursable plants, permeable hardscape, and drip irrigation parts.
4. Upon acceptance of the approval letter you will have ninety (90) days to complete the re-landscaping project.
5. Your landscape designer or contractor can provide you with a proof of purchase for your reimbursable materials..
6. Fill out the application and attaches the proof of purchase. Submit both to the Santa Clara Valley Water District and wait for check in the mail.

As with most County programs, rebates are only good while funding lasts (some programs end mid-year). Therefore, it’s important to take advantage of these programs quickly. For more information on all programs offered through the Santa Clara Valley Water district please visit www.valleywater.org or call for more information.

• Irrigation system and weather–based controller rebates (408) 265-2607, ext. 2639
• Irrigation training workshops for professionals (408) 265-2607, ext. 2554
• Water –wise house calls to lower the overall household water usage (800) 548-1882