Last week we
talked about water running off our
The California Friendly Garden
Contest
Before I announce an exciting opportunity for
Orange County gardeners, let me recap what we talked about
during the past two weeks of this column.
Standing at Little Corona Beach with a stream of
landscape water gushing at my feet. I could have been standing
there on any day of the year, watching the water flow by. I told
you about the millions of gallons of water that escapes our
gardens and flows to the ocean, carrying with it a daily dose of
fertilizers, pesticides, snail baits and other garden chemicals.
Together, we reviewed ways for local gardeners to reduce this
runoff, conserve water and grow healthier plants.
We talked about some new water-saving technology.
You learned about “smart” irrigation controllers, like the
WeatherTRAK system that is producing healthier gardens and
conserving water in thousands of our local gardens. I suggested
that gardeners switch their sprinkler heads to super-efficient
models, like the MP Rotator. The time is now, so we talked about
some easy changes; like using organic products in our gardens,
fixing broken sprinklers, mulching over the surface of our soil
and limiting turf areas to where we really need it.
Naturally, we should also be thoughtful of the
plants that we select to grow in our gardens. Choosing plants
that are acclimated to Southern California’s dry summers makes
perfect sense. We now know that how we group the plants in our
gardens is as important as the plants that we choose. Mixing
thirsty plants with low-water plants in the same section of the
garden negates the value of the water-thrifty plants. However,
planting thirsty plants in one zone and low-water water plants
in another makes perfect sense and saves water.
Collectively, when we plant a garden wisely,
irrigate accurately and maintain it in a way that conserves and
protects our local resources, we refer to the garden as
“California Friendly”.
Now the news! On Wednesday of this week, a
coalition of water agencies, environmental groups and businesses
launched Orange County’s California Friendly®
Garden Contest. Nearly $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded
to the best and most beautiful California Friendly gardens in
Orange County. With rainfall at record lows this year, the
contest promises to be very exciting.
It’s easy to enter. Just take three pictures of
your front yard, fill out a brief on-line form and you’re garden
is in the running. Your pictures, along with your city and last
name will be posted onto the contest website.
The competition, being promoted through numerous
websites, newspapers, magazines and on television, will
encourage gardeners throughout the county to make their garden
California Friendly. The contest is organized by Roger’s
Gardens and sponsored by a powerful coalition: The Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California, The Municipal Water
District of OC, The Irvine Ranch Water District, The City of
Newport Beach, The Surfrider Foundation, OC Coastkeeper,
Monrovia Nursery, WeatherTRAK, MP Rotator, Dr. Earth, Gardner
and Bloome and others.
Entries are being accepted now and will be posted
on the website soon. During the month of June, public voting
will take place on the contest website. Thousands of gardeners
will view the pictures submitted and vote for their favorites.
The ten California Friendly gardens that receive the most
votes will be inspected by an expert judging team on July 13th.
Finally, on the evening of July 28, at a multi-media awards
presentation in Corona del Mar, the public is invited to be
present when the four best California Friendly gardens
are awarded. The evening will conclude with the announcement of
the Best
California
Friendly
Garden in Orange County.
If you want to win, here’s a tip . . . it should
be beautiful! California Friendly gardens are beautiful.
They are gardens that are stunning and inspirational. They are
gardens that excite your senses, tease your curiosity and leave
you wondering how you can bring them to your own home.
To see the full details of the contest, see some
inspirational photographs or enter go to the official contest
website, www.rogersgardens.com/gardencontest.
Good luck.
Ron Vanderhoff is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s
Gardens, Corona del Mar
