Lois Scott transformed her El Cajon home’s green front lawn with rose bushes into a colorful water-wise landscape with a little help from her friends. Now called “Nana’s Garden,” it is this year’s Otay Water District Landscape Makeover Contest winner.
Lois Scott transformed her El Cajon home’s green front lawn with rose bushes into a colorful water-wise landscape with a little help from her friends. Now called “Nana’s Garden,” it is this year’s Otay Water District Landscape Makeover Contest winner.
Nana’s Garden is in Otay Water District’s division 5, which is represented by Board President Mark Robak.
Before and after photos of Lois Scott’s winning landscape makeover. Photo: Otay Water District
Scott, who worked as a registered nurse for 42 years before retiring, decided to change her landscaping after years of facing high water usage, lack of rain, and rabbits invading her yard. In 2020, she applied for a rebate through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Landscape Transformation Program. She received a rebate amount of $4,161 for 1,387 square feet of turf removed.
Lois Scott exchanged grass for colorful nature and low water use plants. Photo: Otay Water District
Scott participated in the San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program in 2021. The free classes helped her come up with a plan to upgrade her yard.
“I fell in love with all the different plants I was learning about in the class,” said Scott. “With all the colors and textures, I couldn’t just limit my garden to a few plants. I call my garden Nana’s Garden, full of lots of variation, just like my grandchildren.”
The winning landscape features boulders and rocks Lois Scott dug up or found in online ads. Photo: Otay Water District
With the help of kids from the neighborhood, Scott dug up dirt and rocks to create a pathway with decomposed granite and stepping stones. Three large boulders she found on Craigslist became the new focal point of her succulent garden.
“This 64-year-old grandma sure did bring many wheelbarrows of rocks in,” said Scott.
Existing irrigation was converted to a low water use drip system. Photo: Otay Water District
Scott’s best friend is a succulent fan who helped her plant natives and succulents. She engaged a professional gardener to convert her irrigation system from sprinklers to drip. She capped 17 of 19 existing spray sprinkler heads causing water runoff across sidewalks, leaving two for a drip retrofit. She uses a drip line to primarily feed the trees and succulents, while a separate line and a rain barrel water the rest of the plants.
Scott’s new landscape has allowed an overall water use reduction of an average of approximately 41% compared to the years before upgrading.
Bright blooms attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Photo: Otay Water District
Scott says she enjoys seeing her garden grow. Some plants are soft, fussy, slick, and smooth, while others are prickly. She is amazed by the richness of the purple in the lavender and the bright fluorescent of the honeysuckle.
“The fun part now is to sit back and enjoy the gentle breeze while watching the honeybees, butterflies, and hummingbirds have their feast in my garden,” said Scott. “I am loving the lower water bill and knowing that I am helping the environment by saving water.”
El Cajon resident Lois Scott’s completed landscape makeover. Photo: Otay Water District
“The winner’s landscape will demonstrate to other residents the great benefits of installing waterwise yards and hopefully encourage them to change how they use water outdoors,” said Robak. “The District makes it a priority to provide resources for residential and commercial customers who are considering ways to make water-use efficiency a way of life.”
Otay will honor Scott at its July board meeting with a certificate of recognition, a gift certificate to a local nursery of her choice, a yard sign, and other promotional items.
WaterSmart Landscape Content details here and for information on water conservation rebates and programs for residents, businesses and agriculture in San Diego County, go to: www.sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/.
(Editor’s note: The Otay Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
Water agencies in San Diego County are sharing outdoor water-efficiency tips during “Smart Irrigation Month.”
July was chosen as Smart Irrigation Month in 2005 since its traditionally the month of peak demand for outdoor water use in the county. Landscape irrigation consumes 50% of the typical California home’s monthly water use.
A charming 1925 La Mesa home featuring a rich tapestry of thriving low-water use plants won the 2023 Helix Water District Landscape Makeover Contest. Homeowner Joy Andrea, a retired schoolteacher and La Mesa resident for more than 50 years, created a landscape with a tremendous amount of curb appeal, reflecting the character of the home.
A retired grandmother in East County built an award-winning water-wise landscape with some help from the kids in her neighborhood.
Lois Scott, who once worked as a registered nurse, decided to address years of high-water usage, a lack of rain and “rabbit-yard invaders” by converting her once green front lawn into a water-wise landscape she now calls “Nana’s Garden.”
Instead of rose bushes and grass, Lois turned to native California plants like succulents which require less water to maintain. With help from her best friend and young neighbors, Lois gradually made the transition.
A charming 1925 La Mesa home featuring a rich tapestry of thriving low-water use plants won the 2023 Helix Water District Landscape Makeover Contest.
Homeowner Joy Andrea, a retired schoolteacher and La Mesa resident for more than 50 years, created a landscape with a tremendous amount of curb appeal, reflecting the character of the home. Andrea’s design includes a balanced mix of shrubs, ground cover, potted plants, large stones, and decorative statues.
Joy Andrea says she enjoys maintaining her new landscape. Photo: Helix Water District
Andrea transformed the previous all-lawn landscape into a low-water-use front yard with a thriving fruit and vegetable garden in the back yard.
“When I first moved here, all this was grass that you would have to water with a hose, or it would go brown in the summer,” said Andrea. “The neighbors that used to live around me would have to be outside watering with a hose. Bless their hearts, I never wanted that. It is more rewarding for me to plant, prune and maintain this space than a flat lawn.”
Joy Andrea selected plants with a consistent grey-blue theme showing pops of color throughout her La Mesa home. Photo: Helix Water District
“I wanted to create an old-fashioned, natural look to compliment my 1925 historic home,” said Andrea. “That’s what I tried to create and the plants take on a character of their own.”
Andrea selected plants with a consistent grey-blue theme showing pops of color throughout. Plants featured in the landscape include pride of Madeira, gazania, blue fescue, bottle brush, felt plant, jasmine, and various succulents.
Numerous wrought iron statues decorate the landscape. Photo: Helix Water District
Andrea placed numerous wrought iron statues within the landscape, inspiring imagination and life from every angle. She also included a bottle brush tree and used larger shrubs bordering the landscape. Containers are filled with succulent groupings spilling out.
The landscape design shows how smaller spaces commonly found in front of most residential homes can feel bigger by creating points of interest and using a variety of plants and trees to add color and character.
The landscaping uses drip irrigation and spray emitters to direct water where it is needed. Photo: Helix Water District
She has some advice for others wanting to makeover their landscapes.
“Pick hardy drought-resistant plants that you love and enjoy seeing,” she said. “Remember to keep your small plants in the front and have your taller plants toward the back and if you don’t like what you have, don’t be afraid to take it out, replant it or get something else.”
The irrigation system uses efficient drip emitters for the larger plants and tall pop-up sprays for the groundcover. Andrea enjoys tending to her potted plants by hand-watering them.
“Water is our single most important commodity on the planet,” said Andrea. “We must all use it carefully and not just in our yards and landscapes, but with everything we do.”
Share your landscape makeover skills in next year’s contest to inspire your neighbors. Photo: Helix Water District
The annual landscape makeover competition recognizes residents for outstanding water-efficient landscapes based on overall attractiveness, design, efficient irrigation, appropriate plant selection, and maintenance.
Photos of Andrea’s yard will appear in the winner’s section at landscapecontest.com, along with past winners of the Helix Water District contest and those of other participating water agencies in San Diego County.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
South Coast Water District ratepayers will see an average increase of 7% in their water rates and a 12% average increase in their sewer rates starting July 1, following a governing board vote on June 22.
On average, starting July 1, residents may see a $5.79 increase in their water bills and an $8.99 increase in their sewer bills, according to South Coast Water.
After holding three public workshops on water, recycled water and sewer rate studies and conducting a revenue needs analysis, the district concluded the rate increase is necessary to provide “financial stability and funding reserves” according to a SCWD staff report.
In a prepared statement, SCWD said the rate increases are the result of the “implementation of critical capital improvement projects, meeting our debt service convergence to maintain our credit rating, and maintaining our reserves to meet the District’s targets.”
The agreement reached in May by California, Arizona and Nevada to conserve 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water is reassuring news for all who rely on it — farms, cities, rural communities, tribes and the environment. It benefits American consumers in general who depend on the region’s farms for much of our safe, healthy, affordable food supply, and Southern California residents who receive farm-to-urban water transfers from the Imperial Valley specifically, helping protect them from drought-related water shortages.
The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors saluted the district’s completion of its newest water conservation and operational reservoir located just east of the city, which will conserve 400 acre-feet of water annually and provide water operational flexibility to growers in the valley’s Northend.
The new operational reservoir, recently dedicated by the IID Board as the Lloyd Allen Water Conservation Operational Reservoir, is the first mid-lateral canal reservoir constructed through IID’s System Conservation Program. It has a total storage capacity of 40 acre-feet and is located along the district’s E Lateral Canal — the longest in the district’s delivery system at 13 miles in length.
In addition to conserving water, the new reservoir supports the district’s On-Farm Efficiency Conservation Program, providing improved water delivery service to growers.
The IID Board visited the site of the new reservoir on Friday, June 30, as part of a larger tour of water operational facilities in the Valley’s Northend.
Water agencies in San Diego County are sharing outdoor water-efficiency tips during “Smart Irrigation Month.”
July was chosen as Smart Irrigation Month in 2005 since its traditionally the month of peak demand for outdoor water use in the county. Landscape irrigation consumes 50% of the typical California home’s monthly water use.
During Smart Irrigation Month, take time to check your irrigation system regularly and correct any leaks, overspray, and runoff. Photo: Tree People
Each year during Smart Irrigation Month, the Irrigation Association highlights the benefits of efficient irrigation and innovations promoting the wise and efficient use of water through this month-long initiative each July. Irrigation technology innovation updates and efficient irrigation techniques help preserve our water supply.
As wireless technology has improved, it has been applied to outdoor systems including irrigation. With a smart irrigation system, homeowners can control water use through smartphone apps and programmable wireless controllers. Water consumption can be monitored to quickly find and correct leaks and maximize water application.
The greatest waste of water in landscape irrigation comes from watering too much, too fast. Instead of watering for 15 consecutive minutes, run sprinklers in five-minute sessions with time in between to allow water to soak into the soil and minimize runoff.
This Vallecitos Water District video illustrates how the “cycle and soak” irrigation method works.
“July is our industry’s opportunity to share its amazing stories about contributing to a sustainable world,” said Irrigation Association CEO Natasha Rankin, MBA, CAE. “By promoting smart irrigation, our industry’s experienced and committed professionals work every day to protect our world’s valuable natural resources while supporting food production and creating landscapes that enhance the quality of life in our communities.”
July is an ideal month to perform a check on current irrigation systems and determine whether any practices can be improved to save water.
Are you using all of these smart irrigation tips? Infographic: Irrigation Association
Find more tips and information at WaterSmartSD.org
(Editor’s Note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego region.)
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