When Scott and Naomi Schoenherr built their Laguna Beach home they didn’t even have any water. Just off 
Laguna Canyon Road, their water source was a couple hundred yards down the road below the home site. Using only the internet and their own resources they had to figure out how to get the water up the hill to their home. Today, three years later, they still appreciate how precious that water is.
Scott and Naomi are the Grand Prize winners of Orange County’s first California Friendly® Garden Contest.
Through a collaboration of water agencies, clean water organizations and private businesses the first annual California Friendly Garden Contest was launched this spring as a way to recognize and encourage climate appropriate and resource conserving landscapes.
Scott and Naomi’s garden, set on a steep slope and nestled up against the native vegetation of the canyon, was a challenge from the start. They knew they didn’t want the hassle of a lawn and considering the steep grade of the property and scarcity of water, they also new that low water plants were their best choices. They enjoyed the wildlife found on the hillside above them. They wouldn’t mind bringing some of the natural beauty of the birds, butterflies, bees and lizards into their own garden.
California Friendly gardens feature smart, sustainable design. The plants found in these gardens are well suited to our warm, summer-dry Mediterranean climate. Scott and Naomi, like most of the contestants, blended California native plants, like Cleveland Sage, Matilija Poppy and Sticky Monkeyflower with plants from similar climates in other parts of the world. These included Lavender, Rosemary, Dwarf Bottlebrush and Dudleya. They did their homework, making sure that their plant selections would not escape their garden and invade the native plant communities nearby.
They planted in the fall, beginning in September and finishing in November; the perfect time to establish a California Friendly garden. Water is provided to the plants mostly by drip irrigation with a few micro-sprinklers in groundcover areas. The irrigation system is very well designed and almost no irrigation water leaves the site, which was appreciated by the judges.
To further conserve water, reduce runoff and build soil health, a heavy layer of mulch is maintained at all times over the soil surface. A rain chain helps bring water from the roof into the garden, rather than to the street. A gravel and soil swale along the street captures more water and allows it to percolate into the ground, purifying itself before replenishing the groundwater supply. Since the plant selections are almost perfectly matched to the soil and climate, there is very little need to fertilize and almost never a pest problem. Any fertilizers used are organic.
As in most California Friendly gardens, there is almost no maintenance and no need for a gardener. They installed the garden themselves and they maintain it themselves.
The result? The garden is amazingly beautiful. It is a garden that would impress anyone who views it, not just
those trying to be friendly to the planet. Forget that it uses a tiny fraction of the water of most gardens. Ignore that it conceals no synthetic chemicals. Disregard that it contributes no groundwater pollution and almost no greenwaste. Overlook that no air pollutants are being emitted via gas string trimmers, blowers or lawn mowers.
Just enjoy the beautiful garden, the colorful butterflies, the hummingbirds and the flowers. This is a California Friendly Garden. Congratulations to Scott and Naomi Schoenherr and their amazing garden.
Ron Vanderhoff is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar
