Leading Westside Los Angeles Gardenista Teryl Ciarlo of Teryl Designs, working with current clients such as Actress Jordana Brewster and other LA socialites, has gathered her Top 10 Tipsfor Water Conscious Design to help us conserve, think smart and pretty, for your own personal outdoor oasis.
“Gardening an hour a day keeps the doctor away – did you know that gardening and working with soil reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, improves mental health and raises endomorphin levels? Another great reason to get your hands dirty!” says Teryl.
Earth Day tips for Water Conscious Design in the Garden
..Whether you have a lawn, patio or want to start your first mini garden!
1. Be conscientious with your sprinklers
Staying on top of your irrigation is always important, but it’s crucial in a drought. Overwatering is unnecessary, and easy to avoid. 30% of the average American family’s water use is devoted to lawns and gardens, so turning the sprinklers off when it rains can really add up quickly. When it isn’t raining, water in the early hours of the morning to reduce evaporation
2. Catch rainwater and air conditioner condensation with stylish rain catcher planters
There are so many stylish rain catchers now, that double as storage tanks and planters! They have thought of everything - spigots make it easy to attach a watering hose, and the back is usually flat to maximize space if you’re placing the catcher against a wall (think: next to the air conditioner to catch condensation.) Here is a charming 65-gallon product that I love:http://www.hayneedle.com/product/rainwizard50gallonrainbarrelurn.cfm . You could be harvesting rainwater all over the yard without anyone ever knowing it!
3. Replace portions of grass with gravel
Remove portions of your grass and install gravel or decomposed granite, surrounded by shade canopy trees. The design possibilities with this additional outdoor entertaining space are endless! Create a gravel sitting area with tables and chairs, or turn a blank canvas into a relaxing retreat with benches, pillows and throws. With your feet up and a margarita in hand, you won’t miss grass at all.
Above: Teryl incorporates gravel into her client’s garden design
4. Plant drought-tolerant items such as rosemary, lavender and Little Ollie shrubs
Contrary to popular belief, succulents aren’t the only plants that are drought-tolerant. Fragrant herbs like rosemary and lavender are not only beautiful, but extremely water-conscious! For fantastic border plants, Little Ollie shrubs are a compact-growing and clean shrub that requires very little attention or water.
L to R: Rosemary, Little Ollies, and Lavender
5. Add a rain gutter catch basin to your rain gutters
Add a rain gutter catch basin to your rain gutters, redirecting rainwater to a drought-tolerant herb garden or storage tank. There are very discreet underwater storage tanks that hold quite a bit of water, and are completely out of sight. There are also slim, wall-mounted tanks that can run alongside walls and fences (http://www.halstedrain.com/rainwater-products.html ). Attach a hose, and water your yard with pride knowing that you are doing something great for the world.
6. Keep a pitcher or bucket by the sink, and collect greywater to keep potted plants looking bright
There’s no need to get rid of your favorite potted plants, if you work a little harder for the water needed to irrigate them! It’s surprising how much greywater we produce without realizing it. To see what I mean, keep a pitcher or bucket by the kitchen sink (or better yet – every sink in the house), and collect excess water over just one day. Save the water that usually goes the drain while you wait for the faucet to warm up, and add the water used to rinse fruit and vegetables. Even water leftover in drinking glasses and water bottles can be collected. At the end of the day, you’ll feel so accomplished giving this saved, repurposed water back to Mother Earth, that you’ll want to continue your crusade! And, you can keep your favorite potted plants looking beautiful, minus the guilt!
Even if your entire garden is drought-tolerant, if you have a leaking pipe or hose, you’re wasting water. A great way to check for leaks is to check your water meter at the beginning of a two-hour window of no water use, and then check again at the end of the two hours. If the number is different, you have a leak.
7. Add mulch around trees and plants
Mulch discourages weed growth, minimizes water runoff, and retains moisture. Adding a few inches of compost or mulch around trees and plants will help slow the evaporation of moisture, and give your garden plenty of time to take a long drink of water! Mix mulch with all of your soil to encourage moisture retention in the entire yard!
8. Install a drip irrigation system
Drip irrigation systems save 50% more water than sprinklers, with little to no water loss from runoff or evaporation. Drip irrigation systems can be installed anywhere from large yards to individual planters. You have total control over the amount of water supplied to each designated area, and it works wonderfully with mulched areas, thoroughly soaking the moisture-retaining mulch without getting any runoff.
9. Think about the Bees & their needs!
Bees pollinate one-third of everything we eat, and we’re seeing fewer of them every day due to climate change and habitat loss. They pollinate all kinds of fruit and vegetables, such as broccoli, apples, almonds and squash. Indirectly, bees contribute to our meat resources by foraging crops like beans and clover, used to feed livestock. Bees need flowering plants and herbs to thrive, and with the popularity of suburban lawns and the destruction of native landscapes, bees are rapidly disappearing. Encourage bee production by planting flowering trees and clover in your yard or in planters, and avoid chemically treating plants and flowers, since chemicals can negatively affect a bee’s system. Bees like volume in their flowers, so plant plenty of the same type of bloom together. A few good examples are lilacs, lavender, sage, wisteria and verbena. Beautiful plants with a purpose!
Above: examples of lilacs, safe and verbena.
10. Plant a tree (or two!)
Scientists estimate there are about 200 billion tons of excess CO2 in the atmosphere, and planting a single tree eliminates one ton of CO2 every year. Planting a tree is not only good for nature and for the battle against global warming, it’s good for us, too. In one year, a single acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people, and trees help keep cities about 10 degrees cooler, releasing water vapor into the air and breaking up urban hot spots. Shade from trees slows water evaporation, and surprisingly, most new trees only need 15 gallons of water per week. Surround your home with tree after tree, and enjoy the benefits that trees provide while also giving back to Mother Nature.
Above: Teryl installs a tree for client
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With Love from your L.A. Gardenista,
TERYL DESIGNS
Teryl Ciarlo: Teryl Designs
ABOUT TERYL DESIGNS:
West Los Angeles Gardenista and Landscape Designer, Teryl Ciarlo (www.teryldesigns.com), has current clients such as actress Jordana Brewster and other L.A. socialites.
Growing up in Southern California, Teryl’s grandmother initially introduced her to the power of romantic floral arrangements, and the way gardening gathers people together. As ideas began to circulate on how to marry these two loves of her life, this lifelong infatuation later became the driving force behind each garden design.
“I have a deep affection for being able to provide my clients with the classic ‘California Dreaming’ reality, using the indoor and outdoor living spaces as the path. Homeowners and their guests always gravitate toward the garden or terrace if you lead the way, by making it cozy and inviting.”
Teryl wants her clients to go out and experience their garden, not just view it from the kitchen window. And, not just during the spring and summer. Teryl believes a sign of excellent landscape design is to create seasonless gardens, with plants peaking year-round. One of the most important elements of setting the mood is lighting. Teryl embraces the power of Dancing Lights for entertaining year-round to draw guests to the garden and extend the indoor living space to the outdoors. We all have a vision for the garden of our dreams… “My dream garden is formal, surrounded by trees twinkling with the light of romantic hanging lanterns,” says Teryl. “A long farmhouse table sits atop clean gray gravel, inviting guests to gather and enjoy an outdoor fireplace. We’re surrounded by rows of manicured grass, climbing roses, clean boxwood hedge and a bench for a vantage point.”
Learn more about Teryl’s work and design philosophy at http://www.teryldesigns.com/
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