Ready to Change That Garden to be "Drought Friendly"? Here's How.

The following was submitted for publication on behalf of IEfficient.com:

As California continues to endure its latest drought, Inland Empire water agencies are planning 20 seminars and sales events that will help residents save water by transitioning their yards to water saving garden friendly landscapes.

The seminars and sales events, which are being coordinated in cooperation with retailers, master gardeners, plant societies and other public agencies, will take place between Sept. 13 and Nov. 8 in cities throughout San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Details about the seminars and plant sales are posted on WaterSavingGardenFriendly.com and iEfficient.com.

“We have to change our behavior, learn about water saving garden friendly plants and end water waste to safeguard our water supplies,” said Bob Tincher, manager of water resources for San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, which has partnered with nearly 20 other agencies to educate the public about ways they improve their water conservation efforts.

“We need to look at our yards differently and change some of our planting traditions,” Tincher explained. “Instead of planting leafy, water intensive plants in the spring, we really should be planting water saving garden friendly plants in the fall.”

Agencies are focusing on outdoor water use because landscape irrigation typically accounts for close to 70 percent of residential water use in Southern California.

Much of this is new information for Inland Empire residents, many of whom have grown up with plant preferences and gardening traditions that have been passed down by generations from people who originally migrated to Southern California from the eastern U.S. that gets as much as six times more precipitation that in arid southern California. It’s a problem that’s been building over the past century.

“As people migrated to California from back East, they brought their landscape preferences with them. So we ended up with lots of lawns, shrubbery and plant palates that require a lot of water to be kept alive in this climate,” said Katherine Botts, a master gardener and landscape designer who frequently leads seminars to help people transition their yards into climate appropriate landscaping, which consumes less water.

Free seminars and plant sale events take are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

• Sept. 13, Seminar, “Cool season vegetable gardening,” Western Municipal Water District, 450 E. Alessandro Boulevard, Riverside. 11 a.m. to noon.
• Sept. 20, Seminar, “Backyard composting,” hosted by the City of Riverside and Riverside County Waste Management Department, Renck Community Center (Hunt Park), 4015 Jackson Street, Riverside. 10 a.m. (951) 486-3200.
• Sept. 20, Seminar, “The beauty of xeriscape landscaping,” East Valley Water District and Master Gardeners of San Bernardino County, 31111 Greenspot Road, Highland, 9 to 10:30 a.m. (909) 806-4287
• Sept. 20, Seminar, “Residential landscape design,” Eastern Municipal Water District, 2270 Trumble Road, Perris. 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. RSVP: (951) 928-3777, Ext. 3322.
• Oct. 3, Seminar, “California friendly landscape training,” Murrieta Public Library, 24700 Adams Avenue, Murrieta, 6 to 9 p.m. RSVP: (951) 571-7236
• Oct. 4, Seminar, “Replace your thirsty lawn with a beautiful waterwise garden,” Valley Beautiful, Ramona Bowl, 27400 Ramona Bowl Road, Hemet, 10 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 11, Seminar, “Water conservation in your garden,” Western Muncipal Water District, 450 E. Alessandro Boulevard, Riverside, 11 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 18, Seminar, “Backyard composting,” Riverside County Waste Management Department, 14310 Frederick Street, Moreno Valley, 10 a.m. (951) 486-3200
• Oct. 18, Seminar, “California friendly landscape training,” co-hosted by Riverside Public Utilities and Metropolitan Water District, Riverside Convention Center, 3637 5th Street, Riverside, 9 a.m. to noon, RSVP: (951) 826-2036
• Oct. 18, Seminar, “California friendly landscape training,” Eastern Municipal Water District, 2270 Trumble Road, Perris, 9 a.m to noon. RSVP: (951) 928-3777, Ext. 3322.
• Oct. 29, Seminar, “Commercial, industrial and institutional water users workshop,” Eastern Municipal Water District, 2270 Trumble Road, Perris, 9 a.m. to noon. RSVP: (951) 928-3777, Ext. 3322.
• Nov. 8, Seminar, “Gardening with native plants,” by the California Native Plant Society, Western Muncipal Water District, 450 E. Alessandro Boulevard, Riverside, 11 a.m. to noon.

Sales of water saving garden friendly plants are scheduled at the following locations:

• Sept. 20, Iris sale, co-hosted by Western Municipal Water District and Inland Regional Iris Society, 450 E. Alessandro Boulevard, Riverside, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Oct. 4, “Fall Planting Festival,” free lectures and native plant sales. The event, co-sponsored by Grow Native Nursery, takes place at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Avenue, Claremont, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Oct. 4, The Home Depot, 25100 Madison Avenue, Murrieta, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 4, The Home Depot, 490 McKinley Street, Corona, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 11, The Home Depot, 1151 W. Lugonia, Redlands, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 18, The Home Depot, 695 E. Hospitality Lane, San Bernardino, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Oct. 25, The Home Depot, 3150 Case Road, Perris, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Nov. 8, California Native Plant Sale, hosted by the California Native Plant Society and Western Municipal Water District, 450 E. Alessandro Boulevard, Riverside, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.