Get Paid to Garden!! (No, Seriously!)

It’s that time of year again in Central Texas, where temperatures fluctuate 40 degrees in a day, from icy to sunny and back. Tuesday: Ice Day, schools and offices closed; Friday: 79 degrees Fahrenheit and SUNBURNED. Unbelievable!

What else does January mean for gardeners? Planning and preparation. Something I stress often in this blog is DON’T OVERREACH. This basically means: don’t bite off more than you can chew in terms of scope, scale, complexity, time, money, etc. etc.

One way to help manage costs AND be a responsible gardener is to take advantage of the numerous subsidy and reimbursement programs available that promote environmentally responsible landscaping.

What are these programs promoting, exactly? They support gardeners who make choices in design, plant and other materials that use less water than the traditional lawn grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, etc.) for your region. Usually these programs offer a reimbursement for $$ spent to change a lawn area to a low water use landscape area. Some programs focus on storm water drainage or water supply, offering incentives for rain barrels, rain gardens, and reduced impervious cover.

I took great advantage of one of these programs MANY years ago at my first house. I removed about 70% of the St. Augustine lawn and completely re-landscaped and re planted significant portions of my yard. To be honest, the program was simpler than the one offered in 2014, but the benefits are still great. And of course, you have the beautiful new landscape and your reduced water bill. These programs are just a wonderful icing on the cake.

This is especially a great opportunity for new homeowners facing a blank slate, a sea of green lawn. Do your local research. Below are just a few programs out there– and please share your experience, if you’ve taken advantage of a similar program!

Los Angeles, CA:  The LA Dept. of Water & Power launched the Landscape Incentive Program in 2009, which reimburses residential & commercial replacement of turf grass with California Friendly® plants, mulch, and permeable pathways. At $2/sq. ft. for lawn converted to drought tolerant landscaping, this could mean Big Bucks! https://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/faces/ladwp/aboutus/a-water/a-w-conservation/a-w-c-landscap?_adf.ctrl-state=5fqnma07x_4&_afrLoop=172809426846848

Austin, TX: My hometown.  Residential properties may receive $25 for every 100 sq.ft. converted from healthy turf grass to native plant beds with a maximum rebate amount of $1,250. http://austintexas.gov/department/waterwise-landscape-rebate

Bellingham, WA: An impressive example of a storm water focused program. Includes rain barrels, filter strips, rain gardens– many options that can earn up to $6,000 in reimbursement. http://www.cob.org/documents/pw/lw/hip-brochure.pdf

 

Be careful what you wish for…

Rain rain rain!!!

You may have heard a bit about the drought we’ve been experiencing here in Texas—apparently the worst since the 1940s. According to the US Drought Monitor, almost all of Texas is in drought condition ranging from “Abnormally Dry” to “Exceptional Drought.” The lakes that supply Central Texas drinking water are 34% full. So what do we wish for? RAIN!!

Like many places, we tend to get its rain in large rainstorms, not slow & steady rainfall. We are well educated on the dangers of flash flooding and tornadoes. So what does this mean for gardeners? Let’s go to my backyard and see.

After a major rainstorm there is a strong temptation to sleep in and assume your garden is also celebrating the valuable rain. (Of course I slept in the morning after I got approximately a FOOT of rain!!) But plants can be delicate and destroyed by a pounding or relentless rain event. In my garden, I had recently planted several new plants that had not yet established themselves before the storm. Since I live on a slight slope, major runoff degraded the mulch and topsoil, leaving rootballs exposed. Even the established plants had a hard time:  leaves were caked with soil and mulch—especially hard on delicate leaves. Low branches and leaves were submerged, plants were tipping downhill… Not to mention fallen branches, floating mulch and everything else that went flying or floating around the yard. LOTS of work to do.

Don’t get me wrong: SO GRATEFUL for the rain. Just a reminder that a gardener’s work is never done!