[OKC] From NY Times: Landscaping With Less Water

[Miles, Karen]

Landscaping With Less Water


By KATE GALBRAITH
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/kate_galbr
aith/index.html?inline=nyt-per> 

AUSTIN, TEXAS - At a botanical research center here, slender-bladed
grasses that are soft on bare feet fill a round patch of lawn, which has
held up despite getting trampled by hordes of visitors all spring. 
This is a demonstration plot showcasing a mix of native grass species,
and it is part of researchers' efforts to find a lawn that will require
less water, and less mowing than conventional Texas lawns. 
"Our perspective was - let's investigate alternatives," said Mark
Simmons, director of the ecosystem design group at the Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center. 
Lawn management is "counterintuitive," he said, because it requires too
many resources, like water and fertilizer. 
The research in Texas, which is financed by the retail giant Wal-Mart
Stores, is an effort to address an increasingly pressing problem: How to
manage lawns when local water supplies are badly stretched. 
Texas is in the throes of a serious drought, as are much of southern
Europe, Britain and other parts of the world. And lawns take up vast
amounts of water - in the United States, more than half of the water use
in some cities goes toward watering the landscape, though this varies
considerably, depending on climate and other factors. 
Lawn management is "a huge industry," Mr. Simmons said. "It's not a
sustainable industry as it stands." 
The solution, experts say, lies in better technology and, above all,
smarter gardening. Drip irrigation systems for shrubs and trees have
greatly improved in the past 20 years, and sprinkler systems for lawns
nowadays also give a more uniform spray, according to Thomas Pape, an
Illinois-based principal for Best Management Partners, a water and
energy efficiency consulting company. "The trouble is, the bad stuff is
still out there, too," Mr. Pape said. 
One promising technology, he said, is a sensor that can assess moisture
levels in the soil so that watering systems can adjust accordingly. Such
techniques have yet to be perfected, however. 
Different plants may be better suited to new weather patterns. Mr.
Simmons said that a few outlets were already selling the native species
mixes that the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was working on, and
they were proving popular. 
In Britain, "gardeners are starting to select more drought-tolerant
species, and we are likely to see changes in the planting palette over
coming years," said Tim Entwisle, director of conservation, living
collections and estates at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, England. 
More important than technology, however, is common sense, including the
ability to use new technology properly, and attention to saving water.
"Like all good gardeners, Kew staff adjust their watering in response to
rainfall and evaporation," Mr. Entwisle said. "We can tell by the soil
condition and the look of the plant whether it needs an extra dose of
water." 
But when things get dire, there must be tolerance for occasional bouts
of brown grass and dying plants, as the authorities restrict watering.
Last summer, about six million people faced restrictions on their use of
water hoses in the northwest parts of England, said Trevor Bishop, the
head of water resources at the British Environment Agency. 
"Garden water can be considerable," Mr. Bishop said. "Using a hose pipe
for one hour uses as much water as a family of four over a whole
weekend." 
Such measures have not been implemented so far this year and may not be
deemed necessary unless the drought continues through the winter and
into next summer, Mr. Bishop said. 
However, watering is banned in parts of France, given the current
drought. And much of Texas is under increasingly strict restrictions on
how many days sprinkler systems can be used. 
Article continues at: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/business/global/13green.html?emc=tnt&t
ntemail1=y
 
 
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