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Beautiful gardens and landscapes make an attractive setting for home, work
and play. But in areas such as Sacramento where Mother Nature provides only
17 inches of rain a year and periodic droughts are the norm, traditional
lawns and gardens can require lots of water to maintain.
- Fortunately, there is another way. Gardens
can be beautiful and water-wise, if you know where to start. Take advantage
of the information and resources below to find out how you can enjoy
lovely gardens and landscapes while conserving precious water supplies.
Check out RWA's "Rules
of Thumb for Water-Wise Gardening" before you begin your next gardening
project. You'll find lots of helpful tips and resources. Visit your
local Water
Efficient Landscape Gardens for more ideas.
Suggested Native Plants
Native
Plant List
Plants
that attract Hummingbirds
Plants
that attract Butterflies
Irrigation: The right amount at the right place at the right time.
We really love to make our landscapes green - even when our native plants
become dormant during the dry season. To maintain that lush appearance
we use 50% to 60% of the Sacramento region's water supply.
Lawns require about 57 inches of water a year. Some of that comes from
rain, the rest we provide as irrigation. A small lawn of 1,000 square
feet area uses about 35,000 gallons per year. Unfortunately many of
us over irrigate, typically using 75,000 gallons per year per 1000 square
feet. We can do better. So here are some hints:
- Contact your water supplier
for a Landscape Irrigation Review. This free service usually
includes: inspection of your irrigation system to identify needed repairs,
suggestions for water efficiency irrigation systems, instructions on
how to use your irrigation controller and an irrigation schedule appropriate
for your plants and soils.
- Follow our Watering
Tips for Beautiful Gardens and use the attached "Garden Wish List"
to note the plants you'd like to purchase for your garden.
- Use hydrozones to create a garden that is beautiful, healthy, water
efficient and easy to maintain by installing low water-use plants. Group
plants with similar water requirements together. Each hydrozone has
its own irrigation schedule. For a list of 1,800 plants, see Water
Use Classification of Landscape Species for the Central Valley.
When purchasing plants look for tags indicating the mature plant
needs for water, sun/shade, soils.
- Allow water to reach the expected root depth. (Eight inches for turf,
two to three feet for shrubs & trees)
- Apply only the amount of water that the soil can absorb at any one
time. Stop watering before runoff or puddling occurs. You may need to
divide the irrigation time into several shorter periods or cycles.
- Prevent water from flowing into the gutter since it pollutes streams
and wastes energy.
- Before watering again, allow the soil to dry to a depth of 1/3 of
the root zone depth.
- Make sure your irrigation system works properly. Remember to check
your system valves frequently for leaks, use the right nozzles and adjust
the direction of the sprinkler heads.
- Change the watering time on the irrigation controller to match the
seasonal water needs. Set your irrigation system to water your lawn
every third day -- less often in the spring and autumn. Watering deeply
just a few days a week encourages stronger root growth and a better-looking
lawn Water your garden between midnight and 10 a.m. Watering during
these times minimizes evaporation and, since water systems use energy,
puts less strain on the power grid.
- Stop watering when it rains: Install a rain shut-off device on your
automatic sprinklers to eliminate unnecessary watering. They are inexpensive
and available at most home improvement stores.
Landscape Classes for Homeowners
Spring and autumn classes teach garden design elements, plant selection,
irrigation techniques, application of fertilizers and pesticide, and composting.
For the current class see our brochure
or contact RWA.
Master Gardeners
The trained volunteers of the UC Master Gardeners program are a great source
of information to answer your gardening or plant questions. Their free services
include a variety of gardening classes.
Contact them:
- Sacramento County: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon or 1:00 to
4:00 p.m. at (916) 875-6913, website
- Placer County: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at (530) 889-7385,
website
- El Dorado County: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at (530) 621-5512,
website
Visit Water Efficient Gardens
Our region is fortunate to have a growing number of lovely water efficient
gardens open to the public. They are an excellent opportunity to get ideas
for your own garden and irrigation system. More...
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