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Bill Weber, The Stumper Landscaping:  “Current landscaping trends have a lot to do with using less water and more hardscape or use of gravel and bark and decomposed granite.  Smaller lawns and more aggregate that doesn’t require maintenance more than perhaps a rake.  Used to be you put in a fixed spray sprinkler, it came up, it watered the lawn it soaked it and it shut it off.  It’s not that way anymore.  the sprinklers have rotors, and rotor inserts which water the lawn in a slower amount allowing it to soak into the ground, we let it  run longer.  It reaches the roots and uses less water.” 

Pam Weber, The Stumper Landscaping:  “The plants that we think work best for the type of climate in California are the ones that don’t require as much water.  A lot of people do native plants, but there are also plants that require little water that are not necessarily CA native plants, such as nandina or agapanthus, your cactus varieties, and some people have just succulents and cactus gardens.  Others are some we mentioned before—the nandinas, once established require very little water.  Lantana requires very little water and some of the sages, like the Mexican bush sage, for example.  Once they’re established—it’s important to get them established and then back off on the watering.”

Angie’s List Tips:

Water conservation tips:

• Hardscaping
• New sprinkler options
• Drought tolerant plants

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