It rained 12” here the past 3 weeks. That’s more in 3 weeks than we had each year since this drought’s onset in 2011, and 2/3 of historical annual averages! Even after all that rain and upstream reservoirs spilling, Lake Cachuma (our primary water source) is only 13% full, the lowest of all state reservoirs.… Read More Rains, reservoirs, drought
Check out recent articles below on the big picture of water and climate change. Then, for more motivation, dive deep into my favorite resources of a) blogs/web sites, b) books, c) governmental agencies/water utilities, d) non-profits/regional botanical gardens/horticultural organizations, and e) universities. “Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year,” by Justin Gillis,… Read More Absorb articles of note
As 2017 ushers in, I can’t help but reflect on the new way of waterwise gardening. After all, it’s the 6th year of drought here in Southern California and the 3rd year of mandatory rationing in our local district. And we are not alone in the need to conserve water in everything we do. Six… Read More New year, new way
In yet another dry summer in year 5 of a drought, I’m reminded how names influence perceptions and actions. Shakespeare’s Juliet argued “That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” Maybe for Romeo, but not for amorphous concepts to transform water-intensive landscapes. Take ‘drought-tolerant,’ the industry-standard coinage for… Read More What’s in a name?
As smoke from the Sherpa fire stings my eyes and planes loaded with fire-retardant fly overhead, an ah-ha moment struck. Firewise landscaping is lean, clean, and green. Hmm…that’s waterwise too. Five years of drought, 58 million dead and dying trees just in California, and hot and windy weather make a tinderbox. The more flammable the… Read More Firewise…is…waterwise
Now into the 5th year of a deep drought, California’s May 2016 suspension of urban water restrictions strains credulity. Given that El Niño did not materialize, climate change is unabated, and old habits die hard, reversing the course set only one year earlier seems premature. April 2015’s statewide mandatory reductions (coupled with surcharges, penalties, and… Read More 5 years and counting
Binge-watch season of House of Cards? Or binge-read tomes on gardening in dry climates? Coupled with on-site research, my waterwise landscaping crash courses these past 2 years were fueled by scouring the internet, buttonholing experts, and attending classes. I digested Western and California books in my library, and drilled deep into 72 more. Aha moments… Read More Binge-reading revelations
The jury is in. Climate change is real. Water crises, both global and local, are too. Data, with graphs of interrelationships and implications over time, spurs us to shred assumptions, gain perspective, and forge a sound course of action. The studies below look back to discover trends, or ahead to project likelihood and impact. They… Read More Data worth a thousand words
When rationing raised its ugly head in early 2014, I realized how little I knew about our new California home. Even with my prior 7 years on climate change solutions, until that moment our local water use, the yin and yang of droughts and floods, and centuries of water shortage were not my turf. Armed… Read More My favorite resources
Two years ago when rationing was first threatened, the prospect of our water use being slashed in half came as a shock. Experienced local professionals had recently redone all our landscaping with drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plants, so our improvement options seemed limited and our investments at risk. Incredulously, our local water district was one… Read More Six stages of adaptation
Landscaping Water Wise 