For decades a thick, well-manicured lawn symbolized the pinnacle of the American home aesthetic. Yet anyone who’s ever tended one knows a lawn requires a lot of time, energy and resources to maintain.
Conservation landscaping can help homeowners reduce their lawn demands, if not let go of them altogether. It can not only reduce a property’s resource demands, it can also help homeowners save money on their utility bills.
While the term may sound intimidating, conservation landscaping essentially means making the most of your property’s unique characteristics and choosing plants that don’t require a lot attention, then strategically planting them around your property to reduce your home energy and water needs.
Of course, you can always hire a professional to do the work for you, but conservation landscaping is simple enough for even the novice do-it-yourselfer — with a little advice from a local nursery.
“There’s no one way to do it. Even small decisions can have a positive impact on your electric and water bills” said master gardener Michael O’Loughlin. “There are many individual choices you can make to lower your consumption — all depending on your lifestyle, how you use your space, and how active of a gardener you are — but some concepts can be deployed by anyone.”
Planting the right variety of tree in the right location around your home can shave costs off your winter bills and your summer cooling bills.
Placing one or more deciduous trees along, but not too close, to the southern exposure of your home is a great way to step into conservation landscaping. The foliage will shade a house from the intense summer sun. Come winter, when the leaves have fallen off, the sun’s rays will shine through and warm your home from the outside.
Because evergreen trees stay foliated year-round, they’re the ideal variety to plant along the side of your home that is hit by the winter winds. They’ll protect your home envelope by stopping or slowing down those chilly breezes. However, avoid planting them where they might shade your home during the winter.
“Water is probably the place you can really do the most in terms of savings,” O’Loughlin said. “There’s a huge list of solutions available to the average homeowner.”
If you want to add shrubs or other ornamental plants to your property, consider buying native plants. Your home’s specific soil and proximity to a waterbody will dictate which specific plants will do the best at your property, but, generally speaking, native plants are accustomed to our region’s long wet season and arid summer. Many native plants don’t require water beyond what the skies provide. Homeowners looking for something more eclectic, but with comparably low maintenance demands, could consider plants from another Mediterranean climate as they tend to do adapt well to the Northwest.
Winning strategies
Consider grouping plants by water demand. That way low- or no-water plants can be left alone while still allowing thirstier plants to get what they need.
Spread mulch throughout the planted areas of your property. Mulch helps soil retain moisture and can help property owners cut back on the water they use.
Switching from a sprinkler system to a drip irrigation system will significantly reduce the gallons of water required to water a property. A drip irrigation system gets the water to the roots of the plants in the quantities they need whereas a sprinkler system puts it at the surface, where much of it is lost to evaporation.
If converting is not an option, homeowners should water between 2 and 4 a.m. to allow the water to soak in and minimize evaporation. Avoid redundant watering by connecting a rain gauge to your automatic irrigation system. As an inexpensive addition to your system, the gauge will shut your system off anytime it fills with water.
Finally, when your driveway or patio needs to be cleaned, use a broom instead of rinsing it off with the hose. Otherwise you might as well be pouring money down the drain.
Homeowners looking for more tips, tricks or landscaping plants and supplies should consider visiting the Clark Public Utilities Home & Garden Idea Fair at the Clark County Event Center from April 26 to 28.
The Washington Association of Landscape Professionals will host a landscape display showcase with half a dozen full-scale gardens and patios for inspiration. Also the Specialty Nursery Association of Clark County is coordinating one of the largest plant sales in the region. More than 50 vendors and nurseries participate, selling everything from vegetable starts and local plants, to hanging baskets and garden art. More at www.homeandgardenideafair.com.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
