Now after ranting about water and bragging about reducing my lawn, a confession. I love Dahlias. Why? I don't know. I don't like daisies and they look a little like daisies. I hate Chrysanthemums and they look kind of like Chrysanthemums. They take up enormous space and then disappear for months; I hate that. And of course, the use up lots and lots of water.
But. . .
They are gorgeous. When they decide to grow, they grow! Fast and furious, up and up, then boom! Flowers! Lots and lots and lots of flowers. In incredible colors and shapes and sizes.
I love Dahlias.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Water, Guilt and Rage (Part 1)
I got the water bills for my garden in Altadena and my garden in Palm Springs (I know, I know - you want to buy it? We can't seem to sell it, although we're trying.) The garden in PS uses twice the water at almost half the cost. We're in a drought here, but it's a desert there - literally. But I have kept a thriving lush garden, oasis-style, in a section of the yard and I am below the water threshold for my plot. Yeah!
Up here I'm watering my garden a lot; Most of the plants are new and trying to establish themselves. I water as little as possible but I still have to water a lot more than I will ever again. With the exception of the lawns (see last post), my plants are drought tolerant, or at least, water wise.
With three old, neglected gardens in my past, I learned a lot about what actually needs lots of water and what doesn't. It's amazing what will grow here without much water at all. These old gardens all had to survive on little more than rain water for years at a time. Agapanthus, bamboo, camellias, gardenias, geraniums, citrus and more all survived or thrived with what nature offered. Some roses seemed okay too, but none thrived and that's okay by me.
So I'm water-wise, water-conscious and conserving as much as possible. Next year I will be able to reduce my water use dramatically. And my reward? I'll save about $14 on my monthly water bill. I'll be spending less on water for two houses and a total of almost an acre of gardens - one garden in the desert and one garden in the middle of a drought - than on my cable TV bill.
Wow.
Nature may be responsible for the drought here but the water crisis is man made and still in the making. Every day I watch my neighbors' automatic sprinkler systems waste water and think about how, for years, the systems were recommended as a way of saving water. Experts poo-pooed hand watering, saying that it was inefficient and it is, compared to expert water analysis and application. But most people don't have experts on staff, many people don't even know how to adjust their sprinkler systems and lots of people just set them for maximum summer use and forget about it all rainy winter long. I roll my eyes every time I see sprinklers running in the rain. Now the experts are back to turning off the systems and watering only as needed day by day or week by week. Even hand watering is back.
I wanted to rant here that the people and the experts responsible for the water crisis are idiots and should know better - or at least know something about water. I wanted to point a finger at the local officials and state government that have let politics business overrule over reason. But isn't that just frosting a dead lily? After all, even the Terminator himself can't run California.
Up here I'm watering my garden a lot; Most of the plants are new and trying to establish themselves. I water as little as possible but I still have to water a lot more than I will ever again. With the exception of the lawns (see last post), my plants are drought tolerant, or at least, water wise.
With three old, neglected gardens in my past, I learned a lot about what actually needs lots of water and what doesn't. It's amazing what will grow here without much water at all. These old gardens all had to survive on little more than rain water for years at a time. Agapanthus, bamboo, camellias, gardenias, geraniums, citrus and more all survived or thrived with what nature offered. Some roses seemed okay too, but none thrived and that's okay by me.
So I'm water-wise, water-conscious and conserving as much as possible. Next year I will be able to reduce my water use dramatically. And my reward? I'll save about $14 on my monthly water bill. I'll be spending less on water for two houses and a total of almost an acre of gardens - one garden in the desert and one garden in the middle of a drought - than on my cable TV bill.
Wow.
Nature may be responsible for the drought here but the water crisis is man made and still in the making. Every day I watch my neighbors' automatic sprinkler systems waste water and think about how, for years, the systems were recommended as a way of saving water. Experts poo-pooed hand watering, saying that it was inefficient and it is, compared to expert water analysis and application. But most people don't have experts on staff, many people don't even know how to adjust their sprinkler systems and lots of people just set them for maximum summer use and forget about it all rainy winter long. I roll my eyes every time I see sprinklers running in the rain. Now the experts are back to turning off the systems and watering only as needed day by day or week by week. Even hand watering is back.
I wanted to rant here that the people and the experts responsible for the water crisis are idiots and should know better - or at least know something about water. I wanted to point a finger at the local officials and state government that have let politics business overrule over reason. But isn't that just frosting a dead lily? After all, even the Terminator himself can't run California.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Lawn: Going, going, gone
We all know it: the Southern California lawn has got to go. There isn't water enough for it. Not to mention time. Mowing, weeding, trimming, all for something that looks - if you do everything right - like a rug. It's boring and very English, or at least east coast.
Yes it feels good on the feet. It's great to lay on and play on. Or for picnics. But you can do all that with a little lawn. You don't need these huge swaths of green for anything but a soccer game. And I'm sure after you've spend all that time mowing, weeing, trimming et al., you're not going to let a soccer team or two play on it. At least I'm not.
So I'm cutting back bit by bit. My partner loves the lawn. Not enough to mow it or weed it but he really likes that suburban homogeneity. He thinks that our front stretch of green makes up for my weird choices in landscaping. It's one thing being the only gay couple on the block, it's another to be the first freaks to get rid of their lawn.
But it is going, bit by bit. I started with the borders, expanding and aggrandizing them inch by inch and now foot by foot. They are up to three feet on one size, and six on the other two. He didn't really notice it and he loves the new plants - lush green plants that take up to two thirds less water than the lawn.
Next is the center planting bed, situated so the sprinklers hit it with the least amount of water so I can start reducing the watering time as soon as it's in. He's going on a business trip next month for a week. He'll be surprised when he gets home.
Yes it feels good on the feet. It's great to lay on and play on. Or for picnics. But you can do all that with a little lawn. You don't need these huge swaths of green for anything but a soccer game. And I'm sure after you've spend all that time mowing, weeing, trimming et al., you're not going to let a soccer team or two play on it. At least I'm not.
So I'm cutting back bit by bit. My partner loves the lawn. Not enough to mow it or weed it but he really likes that suburban homogeneity. He thinks that our front stretch of green makes up for my weird choices in landscaping. It's one thing being the only gay couple on the block, it's another to be the first freaks to get rid of their lawn.
But it is going, bit by bit. I started with the borders, expanding and aggrandizing them inch by inch and now foot by foot. They are up to three feet on one size, and six on the other two. He didn't really notice it and he loves the new plants - lush green plants that take up to two thirds less water than the lawn.
Next is the center planting bed, situated so the sprinklers hit it with the least amount of water so I can start reducing the watering time as soon as it's in. He's going on a business trip next month for a week. He'll be surprised when he gets home.
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