A big bioretention effort

In undeveloped coastal areas, the average amount of runoff is about fifteen percent but when we pave, roof, cement and make other impermeable additions to the landscape, that runoff number rises to between fifty and seventy-five percent.

That extra water burdens the system. The old philosophy was to push the water towards the ocean as quickly as possible. It seemed that the ocean was capable of absorbing this. Now, we see that the volumes are overwhelming the natural cycle. The best way to deal is to retain water on property.

Landscpeonline.com, a trade press for landscape contractors, showcased this project at the San Francisco 49ers stadium. Their bio-retention system collects and treats runoff for a five acre parking lot.

This was a huge project: it involved five workers and they completed the work in over three hundred hours.

Of course, most suburban and urban gardens won't require such extensive solutions. The first level is to use native plants. Their water profile can be so much lower than conventional planting.

So, plant natives! Conserve and retain water!

Rain and requests to not water

We are having a normal entry into our rainy season - here it is November, and we are into our first rainstorm. A mild one, seemingly.

The San Diego Union-Tribune published an article today, asking us to voluntarily cut water use. Some people would say: But it's raining!

Yes it's raining today, and it will continue to rain in approximately ten day cycles, if we are on track with our usual patterns. Then, in May, the rains will stop. And that is why we are asking people to pay attention to conservation now.

"Key California reservoirs measured an average of 63 percent full..." and here is a picture from San Vicente Reservoir:

For those of you more data-oriented:

If you'd like to calculate  the right amount of water to give your landscape or garden - try this tool:
Water Calculator

Theodore Payne wiki

Have you all seen this resource? The California Native Plant Wiki - Theodore Payne Foundation. What a great treasure trove!

If you have a question about a particular plant, they have the info...for example, look up Matilija Poppy - you can see Mr. Payne is holding one in the picture above.

You can type in "matilija" or "Romneya coulteri" and that will lead you to a page that looks like this:

I love the icons at the bottom that indicate special conditions or affinities. Try one today.

Hot days coming to an end?

I see rain is predicted. We were at a client's yesterday and re-set the water budget to bring it down pretty low - 20% of the summer number. We'll run this for a couple of months and see how the rains go. Of course, she has a rain sensor, so that if it does rain, the system won't add artificial irrigation to natural sources. But sometimes at this point in the year we don't know how much rainfall we'll be getting. Will it be a wet winter?

Have you turned down the water budget on your system? Or turned it off?

Maybe we should start a campaign like the smoke detector companies: Fall, when we set our clocks back, is the time to change detector batteries and turn off the watering system.

Eucalyptus trees are now "Rain Forest"

This New York Times article about the locally-maligned eucalyptus tree, is an eye opener.

The eucalyptus had been classified as a special category of tree because of how it germinated after fires inits native Australia.

With further study, scientist suggest it has more of an affinity with rain forest vegetation, and that should help to protect it in its home lands. Apparently they were under threat from over-harvesting.

Ironic, no?

Water Issues

Don Wood, who has been interested in water topics for years, recently sent this link:

Cadiz Water Project suit filed


Native plants and water issues are connected - backwards and forwards, so any information about what our water authorities are planning is of interest to those who wish to protect native plants and garden with them.

First: often people get introduced to native plant gardening because of the water-savings potential. It's about the money. Tracking what will happen with future rates means we can track a certain amount of the attention to native horticulture: when people feel rates are going higher at a rate that skips above inflation, then notice goes up.

Even if the inquisitiveness is not purely monetary, then the overall conservation message resonates. We have a strong affinity for a way of gardening that is in line with the natural resources, so we care about water use, in general.

And there are some powerful forces at work: desalinization (a battle about how projects are financially structured s well as about the science), endangered species and the Delta, sourcing water from new places, converting agriculture to domestic use.

For these and other reasons, we'll bring you more information about water as we see, investigate and learn about water in Southern California.

Plant Info Pages - lots of good stuff

When Carolyn Martus’s Plant Sale committee puts together signs for the Fall Plant Sale, they use a one-page informational sign per plant. 

You've seen these: the row of plants sits in front of a metal stand with  a printed page attached. The page has a photo and a description. See the sample below. 

It even indicates whether the plant is in the rare plant list. 

Did you know you can download these? Go to this page, then click on the plant you want to learn more about. The format is a handy PDF. 

I think a three-ring binder of these, kept at your potting bench, would be a fun way to start on your cataloging efforts. There’s plenty of white space for your own notes, and the type size is quite large, so you can read it with ease. 

And, if you are a photographer, and see a plant that has no photo, please feel free to take a shot and submit it for consideration to plantsale@cnpssd.org - see your work published!