Water, Xeriscapes and Native Plants - Essay Example

? Water, Xeriscape, and Native Plants I.D. of the Water, Xeriscape, and Native Plants Part Water Issues of Southern California California is a south western state of USA and basically it has a semi-arid to arid climate and a rugged landform. Some parts of the state are desert area. There are no significant fresh water resources. So California’s water issues can be generally attributed to its climate and landforms. The extent and geographical dispersal of the growth of population in California State can be deemed as poised to put forth considerable pressure on the region’s water delivery and distribution systems through the impending decades. Requirement of seasonal variations of irrigation and water distribution systems remains a major puzzle in the way of solving urban water usage issues (Dzieglielewski et al, 1990). Open-air conservation of water would call for an imperative policy focus throughout several divisions of the state. Such policy restructuring would delimit the enhancements in water demand and free up the existing water supplies that would accommodate new constructions and residents. One of the essentials of the policy framework would include water-efficient changes in landscaping practices. (Hanak and Davis, 2006) Now, in order to change the landscaping practices, individuals and agencies must concentrate on a major aspect of American manmade landscapes: The lawns. In USA, people are generally fond of lawns and they are preferred for both purposes (Government buildings, parks, military barracks, etc.) and domestic architecture (cottages, bungalows, community housing, etc.) (Ratliffe, 2002). However, lawns are not water-efficient, and they can be considered as water costly landscapes for a state like California. When people are advised to avoid creating lawns, some individuals think that the Government has no right to restrict the usage of water since they are paying for it. Therefore, they neglect the fact that the lawns are water costly and delimiting the extent of lawns can eventually help their own generations in the long run. Such behavior can thus be explained by the lack of education and training in water management. (California Urban Water Conservation Council, 2005) Next, people start arguing that they have the basic freedom and right to have single-family houses if they can afford it. Single-family homes may increase water consumption due to more distribution requirements and less organized community use of the water supplies. In the case of single-family homes, a considerable percentage of the households do not deploy irrigated landscaping in their gardens and adjacent plots, which invariably consist of lawns (Water Resources Engineering, Inc, 2002). This is an unwise reasoning since personal will cannot be more important than community wellbeing. Another argument is that lawns have more greenery which is friendly towards the environment and its air quality. This is a sort of excessive simplification of the environmental issues. The fact is that we need considerable number of mowers to maintain the lawns. The mowers increase air pollution and consume lots of energy. Moreover, excess water is necessitated due to the trimming, sprinkling, and gardening requirements. (Department of Water Resources, 2004; Ratliffe, 2002) Part 2: Replacing Lawns with Xeriscaped Gardens In the context of water conservation, xeriscaped gardens can be a better alternative to lawns. Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping, which minimizes requirement and use of water. Xeriscape actually deploys smarter ways for saving water and suite the climatic needs of the area it is deployed wherein. (Ellefson and Winger, 2004) In general gardening and decorative architectural designs, various decorative and even foreign plants are grown alongside the lawns. Plants, which have natural requirements appropriate with respect to the local vegetation and climate, are often neglected. In the case of arid and semi-arid parts of California, most of the decorative plants and expansive lawns call for high volumes of water. Moreover, maintenance and mowing overheads are considerably high. Ratliffe (2002) points out, “It’s a steep price to pay for forgetting to mow, but turf defenders believe the integrity of the American lawn should be preserved at all costs. You’ll hear no argument from big-box retailers, such as Lowes, that count lawn care products among their biggest sellers.” In the wake of more environmental awareness and concerns, water situation of California was at the focus of serious contemplation. According to Hanak and Davis (2006, p. 16): “In California, the initial push for landscape regulations came from the state legislature, during the early 1990s drought. In 1990, the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act (AB 325) required that DWR draft a model water efficient landscape ordinance. The model ordinance contained a number of stipulations involving irrigation design and efficiency and the use of native plants.” Xeriscape gardening emerges as an apt solution in line with the legislative arrangements and water conserving directives that exist in California today. In xeriscapes, native plants are emphasized, and every care is taken to minimize water loss due to runoffs and evaporation. In the view of the possible water crisis and contemporary restrictions, certain desert utilities and cities are adopting more extensively applicable landscape regulations. For example, the Coachella Valley Water District (2003) issued an ordinance necessitating utilization of novel landscaping characteristic vegetation, which would call for at least 25% less amount of water than that specified by the state ordinance. In such a situation, xeriscaping may be regarded as a winning alternative as compared to the lawns. Xeriscaped gardens provide ample scope for soil amendment by utilization of water retaining materials like compost. A xeriscape can be efficiently irrigated by separation of turf and plant growing areas, keeping the turf surface area minimal. In xeriscaping, the differential amounts of moisture, light, and air flow conditions are of prime consideration. Hence, different areas of the yard are planned and designed differently. Wood grindings, pole peelings, organic manure, etc. are used so that plant nutrition requirements are fulfilled even during droughts. And most importantly, unlike a lawn, xeriscapes use native plants that call for less water and certain native grasses can even be used to create xeriscaped turfs! (Denver Water, 2012) There are various misconceptions regarding xeriscapes. The most prominent misconception is that there cannot be turf in a xeriscaped garden. Though creating a perennial lawn is extremely difficult in a xeriscape particularly in the regions like arid southern California, seasonal lawns can be a very beneficial and water saving alternative. Hence, this misconception is actually based on erroneous information and lack of scientific knowledge. Warm season native grasses like blue grama can be cultivated in the xeriscaped ground which need only about 25% amount of water as compared to their other perennial counterparts like the tall fescue (Denver Water, 2012). There exists a stereotyping misconception too. Some people think that only less green and pale looking cacti are the most pervasive xeriscape plants. This is again, not true. It is a fact that cacti can be good xeriscape plants. Moreover, some xeriscape plants may need almost negligible amount of water once established. But this does not mean that plants suitable for xeriscape gardening cannot impart a lush green impression to the area. In California, there are certain native xeriscape plants like California poppy that have “bluish-green parsley-shaped leaves, which mostly sprout basally, from the base of the plant.” (Fara, 2006) Such examples of drought tolerant native plants prove that xeriscapes can have ample greenery too. Part 3: Three California Native Plants In the following sections, three California native plants suitable for xeriscaping will be concisely reviewed. These plants are ideal for creating a xeriscape garden at Rancho, southern California. Pink Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii var. hoffmannii) This is a segmented, upright cactus, which has evergreen seasonality. It has loosely joined straw or golden colored leaves with sharp spines. The plant shows a soft, illusive appearance except for the prickly spines. The plant bears greenish white flowers. The stem has an attractive golden color. (Arizona Board of Regents, 2006) I select this plant because it can act as ideal drought tolerant hedges in and around the xeriscape garden boundaries. These hedges are very difficult to penetrate. Moreover, the plant is evergreen. Figure -1: Pink Teddy Bear Cholla (Source: Arizona Board of Regents, 2006) Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena) According to the experts of Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (2012a), farewell to spring is a plant which has cup-shaped, flashy, pink flowers in a wobbly inflorescence. The flowers are large and have a bright red splash on each floral petal. “As the lush grass watered by spring rains begins to turn gold in the dry heat of summer, Farewell-to-spring begins to flower. The flowers close at night, and reopen in the morning.” (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2012a) I chose this plant for its conspicuous flowers and beautiful appearance. Figure – 2: Farewell to Spring (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2012a) Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Sunflower or more precisely, the common sunflower is a stout, broadly branching, annual shrub with hairy stems and leaves. They have large terminal flowers, which have a maroon disk at the center surrounded by several bright rays of yellow color (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2012b). They grow well in dry, heavy sands or disturbed clays, what we can easily find at Rancho. The plant has both decorative and utility value. Yellow dye can be yield from the floral petals and the seeds can be used to yield oil. In a xeriscape garden, I think common sunflower can be planted as an example of a very useful and multipurpose plant. Figure – 3: Common Sunflower (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2012b) References Arizona Board of Regents. (2006). Cylindropuntia bigelovii . College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Cylindropuntia_bigelovii.html California Urban Water Conservation Council. (2005). Water Smart Landscapes for California. AB 2717 Landscape Task Force Findings, Recommendations and Actions. Sacramento: California Urban Water Conservation Council. Coachella Valley Water District. (2003). CVWD Board Water-Efficient Landscape Model Ordinance. CVWD Press Release. Retrieved July 2012, from http://www.cvwd.org/pressrel/Landscape_Ordinance.pdf. Department of Water Resources. (2004). Water Use - Water Supply Balances. About Land & Water Use. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from http://www.landwateruse.water.ca.gov Denver Water. (2012). Xeriscape Plans | Denver Water. Welcome to Denver Water. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from http://www.denverwater.org/Conversation/Xeriscape/XeriscapePlans Dzieglielewski, B., et al. (1990). Seasonal Components of Urban Water Use in Southern California. Carbondale: Planning and Management Consultants, Ltd.. Ellefson, C. L., & Winger, D. (2004). Xeriscape Colorado: The Complete Guide. Englewood: Westcliffe Publishers. Fara, H. (2006). FGP: California Poppy Flowers. Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/flowerpower/poppy.html Hanak, E. & Davis, M. (2006). Lawns and water demand in California, California Economic Policy, 2, (2), 1-24. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (2012a). Clarkia amoena (Farewell to spring) | NPIN. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CLAM Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (2012b). Helianthus annuus (Common sunflower) | NPIN. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEAN3 Ratliff, E. (2002). Turf Wars: The Battle Over the American Lawn. Retrieved July 25 from http://www.atavisitc.org/evan/images/ReadyMade/Lawn%20Wars.pdf. Water Resources Engineering, Inc. (2002). East Bay Municipal Utility District Water Conservation Market Penetration Study. San Francisco: Water Resources Engineering, Inc. Read More