With greater water restrictions looming and lawmakers decreeing “let your lawn die,” it’s tempting to consider paving your front yard paradise (and like the Joni Mitchell song, “Put up a parking lot”).
But before you take a shovel to your grass, there are a few things to consider, like municipal zoning codes and natural alternatives that don’t involve a dusty cactus patch with occasional tumbleweeds passing through.
Did you know that a certain percentage of your front yard is required in the city’s code to be landscaped?
This is not only to promote attractive neighborhoods, but to prevent solid concrete slabs and asphalt everywhere with cars parked willy-nilly in front of (potentially overcrowded) homes.
There is another very important reason and that’s water. Urban runoff goes into storm drains, picking up pollution along the surfaces it comes from, before emptying into a watershed that most likely ends up going directly unfiltered into the Pacific Ocean.
The current Huntington Beach zoning code calls for a minimum of 40 percent of the front yard of a single-family residence to be landscaped.
Their definition of “landscaping” is as follows:
“An area devoted to or developed and maintained with native or exotic plantings, lawn, ground cover, gardens, trees, shrubs, and other plant materials, decorative outdoor landscape elements, pools, fountains, water features, paved or decorated surfaces of rock, stone, brick, block, or similar material (excluding driveways, parking, loading, or storage areas), and sculptural elements. Plants on rooftops, porches or in boxes attached to buildings are not considered landscaping.”
The current Seal Beach code was written more recently and specifically with water conservation in mind:
“A minimum of 60 percent of the required street facing yards shall have a permeable surface that permits water absorption directly into the soil. No more than 50 percent of the required front or corner side yard may be covered with a paved surface.”
Margaux Shaw, landscape designer for Armstrong Garden Centers, pointed out at a recent presentation on drought-tolerant landscaping, “the less permeable surfaces a city has, the less water makes it back to the water table.”
The deeper the water goes into the ground, the happier the plants are too, which is why drip irrigation and other deep-watering systems are favored over standard spray sprinklers that only provide shallow surface water and “lose 50 percent up in the air to evaporation,” according to Shaw.
Replacing traditional grass with alternative greenery has more options that you’d think, with new hybrids and old standbys that are not immediately thought of as drought tolerant.
Time to think outside the box(wood.) Olive trees have survived for centuries and although attractive, they can make a mess by dropping olives all over the place.
Thanks to science, there is now a non-fruiting variety that doesn’t produce any olives.
Cypress trees are known to make tall, thick screens between properties but can quickly grow to unmanageable proportions.
There are now cypress hybrids that top out at 25 feet and another at 10-12 feet while also remaining more slender.
A surprising number of plants are considered drought tolerant once established, says Shaw.
Citrus trees “hate being overwatered” and even regular rose bushes can be “trained” to thrive with less water simply by gradually changing their watering schedule and method.
Starting with good soil is paramount for a successful garden, admonishes Shaw, who strongly suggests incorporating soil amendments and fertilizer into your plant care, especially before changing the watering regimen of existing plants.
For those of us with kids and dogs who need a groundcover that can take some abuse, Shaw suggests Dymondia Margaretae as a great alternative with the added bonus of no mowing.
If you like color in your yard, there are many plant choices with colors ranging from fiery reds to delicate white and lavender blossoms.
With help from a professional, a beautiful, lush, yet drought-tolerant garden and yard is possible. Armstrong Garden Centers offer complete landscape services and hold free classes most Saturday mornings focusing on “waterwise” lawn and flower alternatives.
If you’re considering saying goodbye to your grass, there are more choices than ever before, and just in time to meet the changes and challenges of California’s water use.
On May 18, the City of Huntington Beach enacted a Level 2 Emergency Water Conservation Ordinance effective immediately. New restrictions on residential watering include:
-Automated irrigation is limited to Mondays and Fridays, April through October. Winter watering is allowed on Mondays only, November through March.
• No watering during or 48 hours after measurable rainfall.
• No excessive water runoff from irrigation onto sidewalks or streets.
• Leaks must be repaired within 48 hours of notification.
Additionally, to help enforce the above restrictions, the City has created a Water Conservation Hotline 714-536-5922.
This number can be used to report water wasters, to find out the current water conservation regulations, get conservation tips and information about rebate programs.
Lara Anderson is a resident of Huntington Harbour, former mayor of Dana Point, and a real estate broker. She can be reached at 949-677-4099 or email: LA@LaraAnderson.com.
