Make Your Landscape Safe With Fire Resistant Plants
Fire season in Southern California has not been limited to the hot summer and fall months over the past few years. Fires have been reported in winter and spring, as well.
Irvine Ranch Water District customers who live in the foothill and canyon areas are more vulnerable to fires and would benefit from including fire resistant plants in their landscaping plans. Two things many of these plants have in common – they use little water and are attractive.
Below is a small sample of options for homeowners to consider when planting:
- Monkeyflower – this entire species is endorsed for use by the Orange County Fire Authority. Be sure to check out the drought-tolerant varieties.
- California lilac - the California lilac is a large shrub with a dense mass of dark green, one-inch leaves, with dark blue clusters of flowers appearing in spring. It requires good drainage, can tolerate summer water and grows to six feet.
- Autumn sage - nothing evokes California quite like a sage-scented hillside. Beloved by hummingbirds and firefighters alike, the autumn sage is endorsed for use by the Orange County Fire Authority.
- Common yarrow - this appears on fire-resistant lists for the California Native Plant Society and the Orange County Fire Authority.
- French lavender - although not a true California native, this attractive drought-tolerant plant makes fire-resistant lists for Orange County.
- Coast live oak – a handsome shade tree. Round-headed with dense foliage, it grows 20-70 feet tall. It has smooth, dark grey bark, with leathery dark green leaves. It is native to coastal central and Southern California.
- California sycamore - sycamores have delighted generations of Californians, and this particular variety is endorsed for use by the Orange County Fire Authority.
- Toyon - a classic California native, it has white flowers in the summer and berries in the winter. It gets good marks from the Orange County Fire Authority.
For more information about water-efficient planting, check out our website.
IRWD Customers Use 19% Less Water in June, Exceed Water Savings from June 2015
During the month of June, IRWD customers proved they remain strongly committed to water conservation by decreasing drinking water consumption 19% from June 2013 water use levels. The savings achieved in June 2016 builds upon the success of last summer when IRWD customers were able to reduce June 2015 water use by 12.3% compared to June 2013.
“We’re very impressed and pleased with June’s results,” said Mary Aileen Matheis, President of the IRWD Board of Directors. “We just can’t say enough good things about the wonderful job that our customers are doing to continue using less water this summer,” added Ms. Matheis.
While water conservation increased in the IRWD service area in June, statewide water savings were slightly reduced for the month. Overall, the state saved about 21% in June 2016 compared to June 2013.
With the optimal planting season approaching quickly, now is a great time for customers to begin planning their fall landscape renovation projects. IRWD continues to offer two turf removal programs that help customers replace their lawns with drought friendly landscapes.
The standard turf removal program offers up to $2 per square foot of lawn removed, while the turnkey turf removal program gives customers the option of having a landscape professional do all the design and installation work for the customer, from start to finish, for a very reasonable net cost of $3 per square foot.
Several upcoming landscape-related workshops will be held to help educate IRWD customers on how to successfully transform their landscapes into thriving, water-efficient outdoor living spaces.
The Right Plants Workshop
September 14 – 6 to 8 PM
15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine
Learn about what plants are the best options for your water-efficient landscape and how to properly care for them.
Urban Landscape and Garden Education Expo
September 24 – 9 AM to 2 PM
7601 Irvine Blvd in Irvine
Get all the information you need to create a water efficient landscape. Workshops, industry experts, vendors and landscape displays will be on site. Hands-on activities for children and adults will also be offered.
Fall into Winter Gardening Workshop
September 28 – 6 to 8 PM
15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine
Prepare for the upcoming planting season. Learn about rain water harvesting, creating a plant list, planting considerations, pruning, soils, inspecting your sprinkler system and overall landscape care that will aid you in your gardening efforts.
IRWD Customers Keep Conserving, Reduce Water Use 11.6% in July
IRWD customers continue using less water this summer, reducing District-wide use by 11.6% in July 2016 compared to July 2013. July's results mark the fifth straight month that customers have used less water than the corresponding month in 2013. During this five-month span, the average monthly reduction has been approximately 16 percent.
Since statewide drought regulations went into effect in early 2015, IRWD customers have used less water in 13 out of 14 months compared to 2013, saving more than 3.7 billion gallons of water in the process.
A variety of Fall workshops and events are available to help educate IRWD customers on how to successfully transform their landscapes into thriving, water-efficient outdoor living spaces.
Urban Landscape and Garden Education Expo
September 24 – 9 AM to 2 PM
7601 Irvine Blvd in Irvine
Get all the information you need to create a water efficient landscape. Workshops, industry experts, vendors and landscape displays will be on site. Hands-on activities for children and adults will also be offered.
Fall into Winter Gardening Workshop
September 28 – 6 to 8 PM
15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine
Prepare for the upcoming planting season. Learn about rain water harvesting, creating a plant list, planting considerations, pruning, soils, inspecting your sprinkler system and overall landscape care that will aid you in your gardening efforts.
California Friendly Landscape Training Class
October 22 – 10 AM to 1 PM OR
October 26 - 6 PM to 9 PM
15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine
Become a Waterwise Gardener. Learn six ways to make your garden California Friendly.
- Using a holistic approach to Gardening
- Building a living soil sponge
- Rethinking elements of your site
- Right plant, right place
- Using rainwater as a resource
- Managing irrigation
More information can be found at rightscapenow.com/events.
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary – Not Just Another Pretty Place
Irvine Ranch Water District’s San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary is not just a great place to bird watch, take scenic hikes on 12 miles of trails while enjoying the peace of nature, it also helps the water quality in the Newport Back Bay.
That water is called urban runoff, caused by any water that flows into storm drains during dry weather. Inefficient watering of landscape, washing vehicles, or hosing down of sidewalks are contributors. Urban runoff carries with it fertilizers, oils, trash, pet waste, and other contaminants, contributing to ocean pollution.
The Marsh receives water from nearby San Diego Creek, cycles it though a system of ponds that use plants and soils to naturally clean urban runoff before it flows to Newport Back Bay. Cleaner water released to the creek contains up to 70 percent less nitrates and both sediment and phosphorus have also been reduced.
IRWD has expanded the success of the San Joaquin Marsh into a watershed-wide system of wetlands called the Natural Treatment System. Of the 45 targeted sites, 25 have been built. NTS sites are anywhere from a quarter-acre to four acres in size and can be viewed from adjacent public areas, such as parks, bike trails and greenbelts.
Information and maps about the Marsh are available on our website.
Water-Efficient Landscaping and Your Water Budget
A new, contemporary landscape and water budget interactive demo is now available on RightScapeNow.com. The demo’s colorful motion graphics help residential customers visualize how much turf they need to replace at their home in order to remain within their water budgets. Users can click through several landscape designs with progressively more drought friendly features until they reach the final design that is 100% drought friendly.
The demo offers helpful tips for converting from turf to a water-efficient landscape and provides specific information on each of the drought friendly plants, trees and other water-efficient landscape features that are highlighted throughout the demo.
To use this new feature on the Rightscape website, visit RightScapeNow.com.
