money Archives - Art of Landscaping

November 5, 2022

Here’s how ‘xeriscaping’ your yard can help save water and money

So far, Northern California’s drinking water calendar year is off to a promising start out. Previously this 7 days, sections of the Sierra picked up 12″ to 18″ of snow although Valley rain served to dampen the ground.Much more rain and snow are in the forecast above the up coming 7 days, but on the heels of a few straight yrs of drought, it truly is going to just take additional than a few of storms to set the state’s water offer in excellent standing. That signifies water conservation will carry on to be best of mind for weather experts, drinking water supervisors and point out leaders. Sacramento County h2o administrators say that residential shoppers use most of their drinking water on out of doors watering. That landscaping alternatives a person area in which a large amount of h2o can be saved. Dr. Haven Kiers is a landscape architecture professional with UC Davis. Kiers states that switching a yard’s landscaping to “xeriscaping” can make a large big difference in the long time period.”Xeriscaping is just a extravagant term for a really simple principle which is prioritizing small-water plants above vegetation that need to have extra h2o,” Kiers claimed.Usually common sod, grass and decorative plants involve a good deal of h2o to manage and many of those people thirsty plant species are not indigenous to Northern California. Kiers claims that switching even some of those people crops to something more drought-tolerant can make a big difference in quite a few means.”It truly is gonna lower your h2o bill. And then also you’re bringing in a ton of California indigenous vegetation, you can carry in a lot more biodiversity,” Kiers reported.Drought-tolerant crops also require a ton fewer labor and eliminate the require for mowing. Though the added benefits of switching to a xeriscape can be many, it arrives with a price. Based on yard sizing, ripping out grass and introducing in gravel can charge thousands of pounds. In that case, Kiers encourages persons to commence compact.”The attractiveness with landscaping is that it usually takes years to create, it is likely to be there for several years,” Kiers claimed. “You will not have to go out and promptly rip out your full lawn and swap it with these great drought-tolerant plants.”And Kiers says that even although trees have substantial water requires, it really is significant to continue to keep them in put.”If you have a tree that is founded and is executing perfectly then you want to keep watering it. Preserving your trees alive is just one of the most vital factors that you can do,” Kiers mentioned.Due to the fact trees support manage soils, mitigate flooding and supply shade which can make a large variance on a hot day.A lot of regional drinking water businesses give courses that can aid offset the expenses of h2o-saving investments. Sacramento County Water Company is now offering up to $2,500 in its “Money for Grass” method.”This method gets extremely well known for the duration of situations like this when we are in the middle of a drought mainly because people today want to try to locate means to help save funds,” stated Matt Robinson, spokesperson for Sacramento County. Robinson states that 1,200 people have benefitted from this system since 2015. He also notes that this only applies to SCWA’s customers. There are additional than 20 h2o suppliers in Sacramento County alone. Robinson endorses residents get in touch with their provider straight to check with about approaches to save cash on their drinking water bill.

So far, Northern California’s drinking water 12 months is off to a promising start. Previously this week, elements of the Sierra picked up 12″ to 18″ of snow even though Valley rain served to dampen the floor.

Extra rain and snow are in the forecast in excess of the future 7 days, but on the heels of three straight yrs of drought, it is really going to acquire much more than a couple of storms to put the state’s h2o offer in great standing. That signifies water conservation will continue to be best of brain for climate authorities, water managers and condition leaders.

Sacramento County drinking water administrators say that residential buyers use most of their drinking water on out of doors watering. That landscaping selections just one area where by a lot of water can be saved.

Dr. Haven Kiers is a landscape architecture pro with UC Davis. Kiers says that switching a yard’s landscaping to “xeriscaping” can make a huge change in the long phrase.

“Xeriscaping is just a extravagant phrase for a seriously simple idea which is prioritizing very low-water plants more than vegetation that need far more h2o,” Kiers claimed.

Usually common sod, grass and ornamental plants require a whole lot of water to retain and a lot of of those thirsty plant species are not native to Northern California. Kiers says that switching even some of those people crops to something extra drought-tolerant can make a distinction in numerous ways.

“It’s gonna lessen your h2o invoice. And then also you’re bringing in a whole lot of California indigenous vegetation, you can bring in a lot more biodiversity,” Kiers stated.

Drought-tolerant vegetation also require a great deal a lot less labor and eradicate the need to have for mowing.

When the rewards of switching to a xeriscape can be lots of, it comes with a expense. Based on property measurement, ripping out grass and introducing in gravel can value countless numbers of dollars. In that scenario, Kiers encourages folks to start off compact.

“The attractiveness with landscaping is that it will take many years to build, it can be likely to be there for yrs,” Kiers explained. “You really don’t have to go out and right away rip out your complete garden and substitute it with these perfect drought-tolerant plants.”

And Kiers suggests that even although trees have significant water requires, it is critical to maintain them in spot.

“If you have a tree that is set up and is carrying out properly then you want to hold watering it. Preserving your trees alive is 1 of the most significant points that you can do,” Kiers mentioned.

Since trees support maintain soils, mitigate flooding and supply shade which can make a major change on a incredibly hot day.

A lot of neighborhood water companies give courses that can assist offset the charges of h2o-preserving investments. Sacramento County Water Agency is now giving up to $2,500 in its “Hard cash for Grass” system.

“This program gets quite well known throughout periods like this when we’re in the middle of a drought because people today want to attempt to locate ways to save revenue,” reported Matt Robinson, spokesperson for Sacramento County.

Robinson suggests that 1,200 citizens have benefitted from this method considering that 2015. He also notes that this only applies to SCWA’s customers. There are additional than 20 drinking water suppliers in Sacramento County on your own. Robinson recommends residents get in contact with their supplier immediately to check with about ways to preserve dollars on their water invoice.

September 15, 2022

Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Saves Money and Water

Alameda is getting an eco-friendly makeover one drought-tolerant yard at a time

Take a walk around your neighborhood and see how many front lawns are now dry and patchy, turned into yellow straw or dirt. This is no accident, nor are residents too lazy to take care of their yards. Most of them are conserving water. Living in extreme drought has prompted many Alamedans to make major changes in water usage, including converting lawns to drought-tolerant gardens and using drip irrigation systems. Lawns simply have to go in order to plant new landscaping. The initial transition may not always be lovely to look at, but the result can be lush and beautiful—and highly successful at conserving water.

Alameda Post - A Traditional Lawn Alameda Post - Lawn after conversion to draught-tolerant landscaping

Lawn before and after drought-tolerant landscaping. Photos courtesy EBMUD.

Here in the Bay Area, we have reduced our water consumption far more than the average Californian, according to state leaders and Bay Area water agencies gathered this week at the Quarry Lakes Demonstration Garden in Fremont. During the first six months of 2022, we reduced water use to an average of 60 gallons per person per day compared to the state average of 82 gallons, according to East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Multiply that by EBMUD’s 1.4 million users and you get a picture of how much we saved by changing our water habits and habitats—at least 72 million gallons a day. “EBMUD customers are phenomenal at conserving water,” EBMUD general manager Clifford Chan said.

Get up to $2000 for making the switch

Transitioning from lawns to drought-tolerant landscaping not only saves water, it also saves money. Less water usage means lower water bills each month. And on top of that, EBMUD issues rebates for lawn conversions of up to $2.50 per square foot, with a maximum of $2,000 for single-family and small multi-family homes, or $15,000 for commercial, municipal, and large multi-family properties. There also are rebates for switching to efficient irrigation systems, using flow meters, and using gray water from indoor sources for outdoor landscaping. Visit the EBMUD website for information about the rebate program and instructions on how to apply.

A lot of Alamedans have already received those rebates. During the past eight years, EBMUD has processed more than 250 lawn conversion rebates, representing more than 380,000 square feet of conversions from lawn to drought-tolerant landscaping within the City of Alameda, according to Nelsy Rodriguez, the water agency’s public information representative. “We’ve also processed approximately 180 rebates for conversion from spray to drip irrigation,” she noted.

Alameda Post - A Lush Drought-tolerant Landscape at Otis Terrace — Otis Terrace Apartments transformed their sidewalk median into a lush drought-tolerant garden. Photo Google image capture.

It’s not just individual homeowners or renters who are making the switch. Many apartment complexes around town already have converted their lawns to beautiful drought-tolerant gardens. Most of the apartments that line Otis Drive across from the South Shore Center now have drought-tolerant landscaping on their medians between the sidewalk and the street. And the City of Alameda is conserving water as well, not just with City Hall’s new lawn conversion but also with city-owned properties such as Independence Plaza, an apartment complex for people aged 62 and older, which has drought-tolerant, bay-friendly habitat throughout the grounds.

Alameda Post - A Garden with a fountain, rocks, and plants — Independence Plaza’s senior apartment complex features drought-tolerant landscaping. Photo Alameda Housing Authority.

Getting started with a drought-tolerant garden is fairly simple

Ready to convert your yard to a drought-tolerant garden? The first step is to get rid of your lawn in the area you want to re-landscape. The easiest and cheapest way to get started is sheet mulching (see video below).

Start by gathering cardboard boxes, often available from your neighborhood grocery store. Open the boxes out flat, cover your entire lawn with the cardboard, and then cover that with wood chip mulch, or bark. Many tree service companies will deliver free wood chips, and EBMUD will give you coupons for free mulch and compost at nearby nurseries.

Then just wait three to six months to let the cardboard and mulch break down into the soil. The best time to do this is summer or fall, but you can start whenever it is most convenient for you. The key ingredient is patience.

Check out free garden plans

For those of us who aren’t gardening experts, there’s a wealth of information online. The Harbor Bay Isle Homeowners Association (Bay Farm Island) offers free downloadable drought-tolerant landscape plans and lawn conversion guidelines with detailed plans for a variety of different gardens. Take a look at the fully customizable California Native Plant Society garden planner to see plants that are native to Alameda and suit your goals as well as your preferred garden aesthetic.

Alameda Post - A birds-eye view of a plan for converting a lawn to a drought-tolerant landscape. The plan includes a map of where all the plants will be placed. — Harbor Bay Isle provides free lawn conversion plans online. Photo HarborBay.org.

Alameda Post - A rendered photo of what a lawn could look like before and after replacing the lawn with a drought-resistant landscape — A rendering of a the lawn transformation using the above plans. Photo HarborBay.org.

Garden Center resources for drought-tolerant plants

And by all means, visit our local nurseries and ask questions. Encinal Nursery (2057 Encinal Ave., open seven days a week) is family-owned and operated and has been here in Alameda since 1946. Their huge variety of beautiful plants is second to none here on the island, and the staff is very helpful. Their greenhouse is filled with cacti and succulents.

Alameda Post - A wall of different plants available for sale — Encinal Nursery has a wide selection of cacti and succulents. Photo @encinalnursery.

Ploughshares Nursery (2107 Main St., open Wednesday through Sunday), specializes in California native, drought-tolerant, and edible plants. Part of Alameda Point Collaborative (APC), the full-scale nursery has its own demonstration garden and offers hands-on workshops on sustainable landscaping and garden design. Sales from the nursery generate revenue for APC’s supportive housing for the formerly homeless, and the business provides job training to APC residents as well.

Alameda Post -Ploughshares manager Jordan Taylor smiling and holding a plant — Ploughshares manager Jordan Taylor is happy to help Alamedans with drought-tolerant garden planning. Photo Liz Barrett.

“Many people who come here are looking for heat-lovers and native plants that eventually will take care of themselves as far as water-wise gardening,” said Ploughshares manager Jordan Taylor. “Also, a lot of native plants have natural defenses against pests, so you can avoid using pesticides.” Walking through the nursery, she noted that although succulents and cacti are beautiful and very popular in drought-tolerant gardens, they’re certainly not the only options. “Native milkweed is amazing,” Jordan said. “Monarch butterflies love milkweed. Echinacea is very popular. And people love passionflower vines. They’re not necessarily native, but they are once established, they are definitely drought-tolerant and very much love the heat. Salvia and most lavender also will be great for your drought-tolerant garden.” Taylor and her staff are available during business hours and are happy to share advice on garden planning.

Liz Barrett is the Copy Editor of the Alameda Post and writes about the community. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Liz-Barrett.

April 5, 2022

The Pros’ Secret To Saving Money on Landscaping

Spring is coming, and that implies gardeners all over the place are daydreaming about making their yards search astounding for their neighbors, their clients and themselves. But just before you head to the backyard garden middle to stock up on container vegetation, you can find a tiny-identified mystery to finding the most from your gardening greenback that only the execs know. Bare root vegetation are a large cash saver that presents you all the fantastic quality of container plants at about 10{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} of the charge.

What Is A Bare Root Plant?

A bare root plant is a plant that is sold without the need of filth about the roots. Bare root crops are dug up at the nursery, have their roots rinsed and taken care of to take out the dirt, and then are cautiously stored in a cooler until being delivered to their final location.

Why You Have not Heard Of Bare Root Vegetation Just before

Most men and women do not know about bare root crops for the reason that they are not sold in area backyard garden centers, nurseries or components suppliers. That’s due to the fact bare-root vegetation have a extremely brief shelf daily life. They will need to be planted in 10 days of receipt.

For retail plant vendors, it would make substantially much more perception to promote vegetation that can sit out on a shelf for weeks or even months, so they only market container crops. Bare root vegetation are only bought at bare root nurseries, and if you will not have just one in your area, you can come across 1 on the internet that can ship vegetation ideal to your doorway.

You may perhaps not have heard about bare root crops, but they’re very common between corporations and landscaping providers. Whilst you are almost certainly not on the lookout to make a profit off your landscaping, organizations need to have to preserve expenses reduced to improve their earnings. Conserving 90{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} on the vegetation they buy will help them do that.

It really is All About The Shipping and delivery Costs

Bare root crops are generally offered for about 90{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} less than the similar plant bought in a container. It all comes down to shipping fees. Filth is weighty, and as a result it expenditures a good deal to ship container crops to retailers. That price tag for delivery is passed on to the customer: you.

With bare root plants, there’s no weighty soil jacking up the expense of shipping and delivery, so customers can pay back pennies on the dollar for the exact same plant, minus the grime.

How Do Bare Root Vegetation Keep Alive Without having Dust?

Bare root crops survive transportation with out filth due to the fact they are packed and shipped although they’re in the dormant phase. In the course of the dormant stage, vegetation end escalating and preserve energy to make it by the wintertime. Throughout this time, crops can be moved and transplanted with bare roots inside of a certain time body.

The Most effective Time For Planting Bare Root Crops

The very best time to plant bare root crops is in the spring. That way, they have lots of time to grow to be proven right before the warmth of summer time kicks in.

When is spring? It truly is whenever the weather conditions starts warming up and soon after the past frost in your area. When it arrives to planting, what is viewed as “spring” in your location may well not correspond with the official start out of spring on the calendar. If you happen to be not certain when spring starts off in your region, obtain out which hardiness zone you might be in. There are 13 hardiness zones in the United States, every with its personal particular temperature.

Landscape Like The Professionals With Bare Root Crops

Generations of landscapers have liked the relieve and affordability of bare root crops, and now you can, also. Following all, when you are paying out 90{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} much less on your landscaping, that indicates you can do what just about every green thumb desires about executing — purchasing even far more vegetation.

March 15, 2022

Large Art: How Interior Designers Find It When Money Is Tight

LAUREN MCGRATH has invested the past 10 years fantastic-tuning her hunt for statement-earning artwork that will not crack the financial institution. “Beautiful rugs and sofas are fantastic, but if you really don’t have something on the walls, it does not appear total,” explained the Greenwich, Conn., interior designer. Lots of customers really don’t assume about artwork until eventually the spending budget is tapped out.

Acquiring reasonably priced massive-scale artwork to fill all those gaping voids above beds and sofas is specially hard. But if blue-chip paintings are over and above your access, you are not doomed to hanging museum posters. Below, the most recent techniques layout execs are filling big blank walls when dollars is limited.

Wrap the Room

While it’s nice to desire of a virtuosic muralist gracing your room’s 4 walls with luscious landscapes or summary panoramas, wallpapers can do that now substantially more affordably. Show A: the Yunnan mural from French furnishings organization Pierre Frey proven over. The misty mountains that envelop the Bethesda, Md., dining home by designer Erica Burns require no far more adornment than a easy mirror over the mantel. Murals vary from $5.85 a sq. foot, from on-line wallpaper purveyor Rebel Partitions, to $350 for 24 square feet from West Elm. A 13-foot-broad Hudson River landscape primarily based on an antique etching runs $595 on furnishings web site One Kings Lane.

Ms. Burns has one warning for mural hangers: Stay clear of a single assertion wall. Envelop the total space for a modern-day, concluded experience.

A electronic tapestry by Zardi & Zardi warms up the bed room of property restorer Greg Penn’s 19th-century Georgian house in Devon, England.

Photo:

Greg Penn

Dig a Digital Tapestry

Zardi & Zardi, started by PJ Keeling, started off digitally printing tapestries on linen in the early 2000s, at very first just as placeholders for historic originals that ended up currently being restored. Soon, nevertheless, he was taking commissions from inside designers. Now the Gloucestershire, England, firm sells its re-creations of European masterpieces on the internet. A well known pastoral type about 7 toes broad, lined and weighted, fees close to $1,900. “You get a million-greenback seem that feels totally first,” explained interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who has hung these tapestries in a 12th-century castle in Italy and a property in Connecticut.

Greg Penn, a home restorer in Devon, England, hung a Zardi & Zardi tapestry in the cavernous bedroom of his 19th-century Georgian home. (The studio, which has sponsored posts on Mr. Penn’s @manwithahammer Instagram account, despatched him the tapestry gratis.) The vintage bucolic hanging warms the huge area and “helps with the acoustics,” he claimed.

A large-scale photograph by Werner Pawlok hangs in this Rye, N.Y., living space by Greenwich, Conn., interior design team McGrath II.

Photograph:

Matt Harrington

Continue to be Local

Little art stores are not only significantly less overwhelming than significant-name, big-metropolis galleries, they symbolize lesser-recognized artists who never nonetheless command top rated dollar. “Starting at a much more local degree, when it arrives to galleries, is the way you are likely to come across major pieces that fill a room at an reasonably priced price,” reported Ms. McGrath, who nabbed the big-scale, signed photograph (revealed over) for $1,173 unframed. Her resource: Lumas, a internet site and world network of small galleries whose aim is “the liberation of art” by way of realistic rates.

When browsing the nearby market, home-dimension paintings—which much less prospective buyers can accommodate—can be a improved offer than modestly scaled art, claimed Patrick Bradbury, proprietor of Tuxedo Park Junk Shop in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. He just lately scored an 8-foot square acrylic work on canvas by American modern day artist Allan Hacklin for $200 at auction. He advises looking for out classic retailers that have a good deal of room to fill. Specified his own gallery’s expansive partitions, he’s more likely to inventory significant artwork than boutique galleries with a little retail footprint. A further as well as: Regional functions might allow you get the art household so you can see it in situ.

A classroom-design and style map handsomely establishes a studious tone when hung about a desk in Hilversum, Netherlands.

Photograph:

living4media / Gonkel/Stegeman

Seem to the Old Entire world

A classic classroom map of Europe can take up most of the wall powering Caley Weyman’s residing space couch. “It’s always the everyday living of the party,” claimed the Toronto collectibles dealer. “It does not have a day, so men and women are normally wanting for clues as to when it’s from.” She sells classic wares through her Instagram shop @shipyardvintage and suggests maps market right away. She favors rolling classroom maps about flat maps for their long lasting vinyl end, weighted wooden dowels and developed-in hardware. “They have longevity and dangle properly.” She resources hers at salvage and thrift retailers and would not pay more than $400 for one. Schoolroom maps, which typically span 5 feet, not only deliver a larger assertion into your residence than a dinky print but convey an similarly expansive feeling of nostalgia and experience.

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February 23, 2022

Artists creating beautiful handmade bowls to raise money for Treasure Coast Food Bank

Ceramics and sculpture artists have been tricky at do the job to toss and glaze hundreds of wonderful bowls to support the Treasure Coastline Food Bank and Mary’s Kitchen area.

The 15th Yearly Lundin Kudo Empty Bowls Task will make it possible for donors to obtain a handmade bowl of their picking, and get it filled with regionally built soup and baked bread for $20.

Food items insecurity has surged for the duration of the pandemic, and the food financial institution relies on the help of the neighborhood.

About a dozen artists collected on weekends at Lighthouse ArtCenter to convert lumps of clay into works of art, throwing bowls on the wheel, then glazing and firing them.

Chad Steve is the Director of Ceramics and Sculpture at the Lighthouse ArtCenter, and one of the participating artists. He states a bowl can have character that demonstrates the fingers of the maker.

“It’s heading to have a pleasant heat so when you’re holding it you are likely to have that wonderful existence and you kind of hold it to your physique like this,” he claimed, pulling one of his bowls into his chest. “So a large amount of like and effort goes into all of these, we have a wonderful local community of ceramic artists around right here.”

Thomas Adkisson is the 3D Studio Administrator and Assistant at the Lighthouse ArtCenter. He observed his passion for throwing pottery on the wheel in the very last year.

“The utility. You can use a bowl for just about something. If you do not like the bowl for having you can use it for a flower pot. That’s what attracts me into these,” Adkisson reported.

Adkisson claims when he acquired about the Vacant Bowls effort and hard work, he was specially moved.

“That’s quite unique to me, it is really heartwarming since I’ve experienced predicaments with my mom that I have wanted a foods financial institution, so to occur full circle and give again to the community actually means a great deal to me,” Adkisson mentioned.

The obstacle is anything Adkisson remembered whilst building bowls.

“It was genuinely difficult at to start with, emotion that you’re underneath other folks is a genuinely hard problem to confront. But we often picked each and every other up in our family members but church buildings are seriously excellent places to go for food stuff banking companies, and that’s what we would do, we’d go to church buildings and we ended up on meals stamps as properly and so we experienced a crutch, thankfully,” Adkisson mentioned.

The donors who go to the party will get to select a stunning bowl to take house.

“Hopefully they just obtain one thing that speaks to them,” Steve mentioned.

The Lundin Kudo Vacant Bowls celebration Lundin Kudo Vacant Bowls – Treasure Coast Food Lender (stophunger.org) is Sunday, February 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Women’s Club of Stuart, 729 SE Ocean Boulevard.