With water rates getting more and more expensive, and the introduction of mandatory water rationing programs being introduced throughout most of California, replacing grass with regional drought-resistant plants is a smart move. However, major changes to landscaping can be a scary thing. Hopefully, this post provides you with the inspiration you need to tackle your own home transformation.

In this first edition of a new series called Home Transformation – Before & After, we feature this home in Southern California

There are a lot of easy and effective ways to eliminate weeds and pests from your garden without the use of commercial pesticides. Most of these methods have been used for decades by traditional farmers with success.

Photo: Meredith_James
But first, an overview on why the commercial options should be avoided:
The number one selling herbicide, or weed-killer, is Roundup. Roundup is produced by the U.S. company Monsanto and contains the active ingredient glyphosate. In the US, 5-8 million pounds are used every year on lawns and …

For most people, the word sustainability and a career in environmental conservation, is considered new. However, Michael Laurie, owner of Watershed L.L.C. based in Vashon, Washington, sustainability and a career revolving around environmental activism is something he has been doing for over 25 years! He is currently a sustainability consultant specializing in indoor and outdoor water efficiency. He has a BS in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, an Associate of Technical Arts in Energy Management from Edmonds Community College, and a Masters …

Rain harvesting systems date back to the earliest civilizations, particularly those that were located in arid regions. For these early civilizations, captured rain water was extremely important as it was used for cooking, irrigation, and cleaning. Even a short rain can provide a lot of water. For example, if you had a 2000 square foot roof and your city gets approximately 12 inches of rain during a year. For every inch of rain that fell, you could collect 1200 gallons from your roof! Even …

What?!
Composting is the controlled natural decomposition of organic material, such as leaves, grass clippings, prunnings, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Microorganisms break down these materials into compost, or humus, a nutrient rich soil product.
Where?!
Composting can be setup almost anywhere…in your backyard, at work or school, even if you live in an apartment! All you need to get started is a bit of space, a bin or container, and a basic understanding of the composting process.
Space: Your compost pile will need an area about 3 square feet at minimum. It should …

Last week, I wrote a post on several different drought tolerant plants that are an effective and attractive way to reduce the amount of water you use outdoors on your landscape. While doing that research, I tripped across this cool product that helps you pick out appropriate plants for your climate. The EasyBloom plant sensor has environmental sensors to detect sunlight, shade and soil moisture levels. You stake the sensor in the soil of the area of your yard you are looking to landscape, and leave it for 24 hours. …

If rain is in the forecast please be kind enough to shut off your automatic watering systems.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the irrigation systems running along the side of a freeway in a rainstorm.  When the soil seems to be dry about 2″ down, it’s time to water again.  This is assuming you don’t have a rock garden for a lawn, which isn’t a half bad idea.

When it comes to saving water outdoors, landscape design is huge! Large sections of turf or grass consume a tremendous amount of water, especially during hot summer months. While you can reduce your water use by using water saving sprinkler heads and weather-based irrigation controllers, the best way to reduce your water use is to plant regional and drought-tolerant plants.
Here are 12 different water saving plants that not only require small amounts of water, but also look amazing!
Western Redbud: A small shrub bush found natively in the southwest USA. Native …

Saving water outdoors is one the most important first steps of water conservation. An estimated 50 percent of the water used in a single family home is spent outdoors on landscaping. Your lawn is where all that water probably goes. It takes 55 inches of water per year to keep grass green. However, even in what would be considered a wet year in the southwestern US, only around 11 inches of rain would fall. The remaining 44 inches needed by your lawn would come from your sprinkler system. However, common …