Spring has arrived in Sonoma County, and the valleys are ablaze with mustard flowers and fruit tree blossoms. All of the warm weather we had in January seemed to usher spring in early, though it is still getting quite cold at night.
Despite the lush landscape we are currently enjoying, many of my clients are concerned about the drought we are currently in, as well as looming water rationing. Consulting these clients, I have been proposing a number of different ways that they can reduce their water use. The most obvious step is to re-program irrigation clocks to water less, and less frequently. Next, clients should evaluate different zones of the landscape. Can some annual beds be planted with drought tolerant perennials instead? what about letting some lawn areas go dormant for the summer? My post on removing lawns below covers this strategy, which may entail more work and cost in the short term, but will likely do the most in the long run to reduce the burden on our water resources of all of the steps I’ve mentioned.
Lawns can also be converted to edible landscapes. Lots of edibles are also pretty plants. Artichokes do well in Sonoma County. I always let a few bloom at the end of the season. They very in size by variety. They are relatively easy care. I put mine on drip but they will go dormant in a summer drought.