Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
Did you know that up to 70% of your annual water use occurs outdoors? Replacing your lawn with water-wise plants can save as much as 44 gallons per square foot each year. Here are a few tips on how to maintain a beautiful and less thirsty garden:
- Use less thirsty plants: African daisies, California poppies, celosia, creeping zinnia, cosmos, dwarf morning glories, gaillardia, marigolds, nicotiana, portulaca, and many more beautiful plants require much less water than grass.
- Cut back on fertilizer: It causes the plants to become more thirsty.
- Know your sprinklers: Use water-efficient sprinklers that focus on precise coverage and eliminate run off.
- Water for short intervals: Watering for short periods allows plants time to absorb water without causing run off.
Additional indoor and outdoor water-saving tips are available at Metropolitan’s conservation website bewaterwise.com®. The site also has information about education programs and rebates for water-saving devices.
