Going Native

From the morning TV news, it is suggested that we Californians "go native". What is meant is that the state is facing a water shortage. It's really not a state issue, but rather an issue facing much of our country. We simply have gone beyond our means with the population vs. the demand on water. So, what is the plan? They say we can save over 80% on our water bill by planting (or replanting) shrubs, trees, and grasses native to the area. These do not need water beyond "normal" rainfall.

This should be important to us all. Besides saving on our costs, we'd be protecting our environment. If you spend an average of $50 a month watering the grass, a reduction of 80% would save you $40 a month or almost $500 a year, not an amount to sneeze at for us seniors. They say that within 100 to 200 years (that may not be important to us), that areas populated without sufficient water will become ghost towns. To our grand children or great grand children it will be important. Cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tucson, and Los Angeles , to name a few, will cease to exist!

My brother, a native of southern California for over 70 years, moved to Sierra Vista, AZ, a town about 100 miles southeast of Tuscon. Over the last few years, the population in this town has mushroomed from around 25,000 to over 60,000. The city planners simply did not foresee the growth being that large or that quick for the area. They are out of water (not that there was a lot to begin with). They are now trying desperately to find alternatives.

For any of you who may want to re plan your front and back yards for more efficient water usage, I've provided a link listing some nurseries selling California (and several other states) native plants. http://www.wildscaping.com/resources/nurseries.htm

The lady on the Ch. 4 TV news interview has replanted her entire front yard. She has taken a plan to the city she lives in with the hope that they will follow suit and replace all the plants, trees, and shrubs in front of city hall with ones that are native and take little or no water to maintain. Makes sense to me, how about you? When we move to our final home, Bonnie and I are going to have our front and back yards with "zero maintenance" plants...no gardener for us....we are "Going Native"!!