Don't you just love your lawn? Let's face it, there is so much to love like the large green mass cut nice and neat, the uniform palette it creates to frame your home, its constant need for large quantities of water, its high demand for fertilizer, its frequent need for mowing and edging, the aroma of fresh lawn mower exhaust, the trips to the gas station to buy gas for the mower ... wait a minute ... some of these things aren't lovable at all. In fact, they're time-consuming, expensive, and a downright hassle.
Let me tell you that now IS the time to rethink our lawns. This isn't something for just your hippie friends or green party members to consider -I'm talking to all Morgan Hillians. We can do better than lawns.
So am I talking about everyone turning their front lawns into unkempt weedpatches, acres of wood chips, rolls of artificial turf, or squares of green-painted concrete? Heck no! I'm talking about taking the time and trouble to develop an above-average landscape. A landscape that looks smart and is smart.
I'm happy to let you know that we have three things available ready to assist you in considering life after your lawn. The city is happy to double the Santa Clara Valley Water District's rebate program that provides funding for replacing your thirsty lawn with water-efficient plants and permeable hardscapes. Morgan Hill residents can get up to $1.50 for each square foot of lawn removed, up to a maximum of $2,000. The program basically works like this: 1) You decide that you're interested and call (866) 685-2322; 2). They send out a staffperson to premeasure your lawn and give you details on the program. 3) You plan out and replace your lawn using plants and materials selected from the long lists provided by the program. 4) They conduct a final inspection and send you a check.
The second resource we have available for you is our local demonstration garden. Located on the east side of City Hall, the demonstration garden is chock-full of California native plants. In addition to the water-sipping plantings, the garden features a dry creek bed, super-efficient irrigation system, plant listings, and explanatory signage.
Lastly, the city also has water-efficient garden planting software available for use inside City Hall. You can step right up to a computer, design your landscape, and print out a listing of your selected plants. It's really quite simple and fun to use for projects large and small.
So rethink your green to save some green and some water, too! I know that you're all above-average.
Eco-Fact of the Week: A similar landscaping program in Las Vegas estimates that every square foot of grass replaced with water-smart trees, shrubs and flowers saves an average of 55 gallons of water per year. In the first eight years of their program, about six square miles of grass have been eliminated, saving 18 billion gallons of water. Come on Morgan Hill, we have some catching up to do.
Eco-Web Pages of the Week: Many more details about the Water District's Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program can be found at http://www.valleywater.org/Water/Water_conservation/Landscaping/_Water_Efficient_Landscape_Rebate.shtm . One family's decision to rip up their lawn and plant a garden is cheerfully recorded at http://www.chow.com/stories/10995 . Some lawn alternatives are discussed at http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_lawn_alternatives.htm .
Anthony Eulo is a program administrator for the City of Morgan Hill. He welcomes your questions, comments and thoughts and can be reached at 779-7247 or environ@morgan-hill.ca.gov .
Tony Eulo Anthony Eulo is the environmental programs manager for the city and assistant to the city manager. He welcomes questions, comments and thoughts and can be reached at 779-7247.
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