The following video by Brad Lancaster illustrates how much water the landscape is capable of absorbing- Check it out! I first saw Brad do a presentation a couple of years ago in Denver, and he is a really funny and effective presenter with some great ideas.
How can this be applied to our own residential and commercial landscapes?
Brad advocates a change in the way rainwater and storm drainage is thought of. Often times buildings are designed to get water to drain off of the site as quickly as possible, and into an elaborate system of storm drains. This approach treats rainwater as a nuisance, where it is not being used on the site at all. With a landscape design and drainage design that captures and directs water so that it can be used for gardens, flowers, and trees, this water can be utilized on-site as a valuable resource.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
This idea popped into my head one night at the end of a busy day. As I have written about in the past, one of our specialties at Outdoor Design Group is to work with large residential and commercial properties to renovate their landscaping to save water and maintenance. We call these our Site Renovation services. Often times the landscape is drastically changed, as we convert high water-use areas (usually irrigated lawns) into more sustainable Xeriscape style landscaping with trees, flowering shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses. I already knew what these changes looked like on the ground, but I wondered what they might look like from the sky…
Thanks to Barbara Landrith at CLCA for sharing this great article (M2 Equitybites), excerpts from which follow:
Water and wastewater services provider California American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, stated on Thursday that the company and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District will be offering more rebates for installation of water-saving appliances and water-wise landscaping, commencing this month.
Residents can earn rebates for removing lawn and replacing it with low water use plants, permeable surfaces or synthetic turf. This programme now offers $1.25 per square foot of lawn removed and replaced with low water use plants or permeable surfaces up to 5,000 square feet (an increase from 2,000 square feet). Lawn replaced with synthetic turf qualifies for an additional rebate of $2.00 per square foot up to 2,000 square feet, bringing the maximum rebate amount to more than $10,000.
My Thoughts: Those are pretty substantial rebates. The amounts available are higher than I have seen in the past, and would be more than enough incentive for homeowners to consider renovating their landscaping to save water.
Unfortunately, the only landscape related rebates mentioned for commercial businesses are for graywater irrigation systems. While I applaud those efforts, a much greater opportunity for water savings for commercial properties is in offering substantial rebates to replace high water-use landscaping with more water-wise landscaping.
This is the official blog of Outdoor Design Group, Colorado Landscape Architects. For more information about our business and our services, click here.
Converting an outdated landscape into landscaping that uses less water is not as hard as you might think. And there are many benefits!
One of the best ways to do this is to convert your high water-use landscaping into a Xeriscape (pronounced “zeer-escape”). This can be done anywhere- from a small home landscape, to a large commercial property.
Many people have an image of Xeriscape as a “sea of rocks, with a few cactus plants”. But Xeriscape can also be a lush, green and colorful landscape that is interwoven with flowering plants, textures, and beauty throughout each season. In my opinion it is much more beautiful and interesting than “traditional” landscaping.
The Top 10 Benefits Are:
10. Less Maintenance
9. Use Less Water & Better for the Environment
8. Prevent Water Damage
7. More Beautiful, Colorful & Unique
6. Better Wildlife Habitat
5. Less Fertilizers & Pesticides Needed
4. Better Suited to Your Site’s Unique Conditions
3. More Winter Beauty
2. Better Prepared for Drought
1. Saves You Money
Now I will discuss each benefit in greater detail and explain what each one can mean for you: (more…)
Question: How much of my water goes toward irrigating my landscaping? Answer: In Denver, 54% of the average residential customer’s water use goes toward irrigating the landscaping.
The average person in Denver uses 128 gallons of water per day for residential use.
