Landscaping Tips

Keep Your Yard Water Wise

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Water conservation doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few tips and things to look out for, you can use water wisely and avoid paying for water you are not actually using. In fact, with a little up front work, you can create a yard that better retains water, uses less of it and makes for happier plants!

Close up of Orange Sticky Monkey, small yellow flowers

Close up of Dudleya Cymosa, small red flower buds with yellow tips

Close up of Douglas Iris, white flowers surrounded by green leaves

Inspect Your Irrigation

The average household uses more water outdoors than inside the home. Leaks and inefficiencies in irrigation systems can mean over-watering and paying for unused water.

Close up of Ceanothus, lavendar colored flowers on a tree branch

Close up of Mountain Sage, an orange and red colored flower buds surrounded by green leaves

A green bush filled with Penstemon, light purple colored flowers

EPA Watersense Video

Irrigation PDFs

Fine-Tune Your Irrigation System To Save Money and See Better Results
Don’t Send Money Down the Drain!

A close up of Native Iris, a three petal purple flower

Close up of New Zealand Flax plant, with colorful long leaves

Bush of Catnip, lavender colored flowers beneath an outdoor deck

Use Native Plants

Simple things like selecting native plants is a great place to start because they typically do not require much more water than what our climate allows for naturally. And they thrive in the wet winters and dry summers typical of our Mediterranean climate.

Green bush filled with Bulbine, golden colored flowers

Blanket Flowers, a bush filled with bright orange and yellow rimmed colored flowers

Close up of branch filled with Brakelights yucca, pink colored flower buds

In addition to using less water, native plants are generally better adapted to handle the pests in our area, they make great food sources for native birds, bees and butterflies, and they tend to require less maintenance. Zone 7 customers are eligible for our Water-Efficient Lawn Conversion Rebate [LINK TO REBATE PAGE]. We encourage all of our customer to view the following links for native, water-wise landscaping inspiration and tips:

Sedum Autumn Joy, pink and red colored flowers among green stems and leaves

Close up of Angelina Stonecrop, long stemmed light green colored

Alum Root, a brown branch filled with small white flower bulbs in front of greenery

General Landscaping Tips

  • Water early and deeply. The best time to water is early in the day just as the sun rises. This limits evaporation and gets more water to your plant roots. Watering longer and less frequently also saves water by helping plants build stronger, deeper root systems.

  • Group plants together based on how much water they use. Plant thirsty plants with others that love water, and drought tolerant varieties near other water conscience plants.

  • Consider alternatives to turf. Green grass is nice, but water-wise is better and in most cases, less work!

  • Use permeable hardscaping to capture water. Areas of gravel and porous stones look great and help divert water to plants close by, and they also reduce irrigation area.

  • Mulch it up! Mulch limits evaporation, keeping moisture within the soil to keep water available for plants. It also adds nutrients and provides a home for beneficial insects.

  • Maintain today for prosperous plants tomorrow. Plants that are well maintained are heartier during dry seasons and more tolerant of pesky pests.

Need a little more help? Enlist a QWEL Pro!

Qualified Water Efficient Landscapers (QWEL) have been trained in efficient irrigation principles and sustainable landscaping practices, and can help to:

  • Use water efficiently in your landscape
  • Reduce runoff and overspray
  • Select and install efficient irrigation equipment
  • Develop your irrigation schedule and program your irrigation controller

Visit Zone 7’s Water Wise Gardening in the TriValley website for more tips!

Close up of a Golden Yucca, a large plant with long green leaves

Bush filled with Sea Staice, small purple colored flowers

Close up of Woolly Grevillea, pink colored plant surrounded by green leaves