Neighbors Take Gardening Seriously

Community gardens are a fast-growing rite of spring, satisfying the urge to plant and nurture a crop of tasty vegetables or homegrown bouquets.  HOAs are finding ways to creatively cultivate common areas and encourage homeowners to “dig in.” 

These cooperative ventures can be done with style, as illustrated by a recent article in the Dallas Morning News.   SpringPark neighbors take gardening seriously.  Tending a plot in the community garden is a fine way to enjoy the outdoors, harvest the fruits of your labor, and a crop of new friends as well.  Would you like to see this idea take root in your neighborhood?  Here’s how SpringPark HOA did it.

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Drip Systems Make the Most of Precious Commodity

When it comes to irrigation, drip is one of the most effective and efficient ways to water.  It helps deliver water directly to the target, with very little waste.  What a great new idea, right? Great idea? Most definitely!  New?  Not really.

Drip irrigation dates all the way back to 1866.  In Afghanistan, researchers began experimenting with drip using clay pipe in irrigation and drainage systems.  The theory of targeted watering was brought to the United States when, in 1920, water was successfully applied to plant root zones without raising the water table.  Modern-day drip systems have become much more sophisticated and efficient but utilize many of the same, original principals.

A properly designed and operating drip irrigation system can save up to 80%  in water usage, in comparison to other irrigation methods.  This savings comes from the ability of drip to deliver water directly to the root zone, coupled with a very low evaporation rate. Basically, it allows you to put the water “where it’s needed” in the “amount needed”.  Pretty cool stuff!

In addition to water savings, installing a drip system may also qualify for a tax credit or rebate on your water bill.  In areas, such as the San Lorenzo Valley Water District , installing drip irrigation can earn homeowners up to $500.00 in water bill credit.

Another consideration is the ongoing water restrictions many of us are facing across the country.  While many businesses and homeowners struggle to keep their landscape investments alive under ever-increasing water rationing, drip can be a very real solution.  Numerous city governments are providing drip irrigation exemptions.  The City of Plano , a  large Texas suburb, allows drip watering during Stage 1, 2 and 3 of their drought contingency plan.  You’re certainly not a drip if your landscape is alive and your neighbor’s is not!

While drip can be a serious tool in your sustainability toolkit, there are some special considerations.  It is imperative that drip systems be properly designed.  Since drip delivers its water payload directly to the plant root zone, the tubing must placed correctly within the landscape.  Poorly designed or installed systems can result in too little or too much water being applied.  Additionally, drip systems operate utilizing lower water pressures and require low or pressure regulating control valves.  It’s also important to consider the water source and type of filtration which is needed.  Even small impurities, within the water supply, can derail a drip system. Therefore, proper filtration is critical.  Finally, as opposed to standard irrigation systems which operate in terms of “gallons per minute”, drip zones are measured in “gallons per hour”.  System controls and programs must be able to address these increased application times.

The days of being able to just add more water to solve a landscape problem is over.  Water is a finite resource and expensive resource.  Drip systems can help make the most of this costly and precious commodity.  I think Leonardo De Vinci may have said it best, “Water is the driving force of all nature”.  Drip irrigation can help bring this force into focus.

Contributed by Mark Hopkins, National Sales Operations/Texas Regional Sales Leader, ValleyCrest Landscape Companies.

Daylight Saving Means Time to Hang Out

That early herald of spring has arrived when we “spring forward” and lose an hour of sleep.  Yet “daylight saving” gives that delightful  “extra” time to watch the sun set.  No more trudging across the office parking lot in the dark at day’s end. 

What to do with the extra daylight? Reconnect with your neighborhood, your home turf, after winter hibernation.  Take the dog for a walk, turn over a few spadefuls of soil in the flower bed, hit the garden supply aisle for grass seed or bedding plants.

 

Or just hang out --no exertion required.  I gaze up at the canopy of Bradford pear trees as I drive down the short allée entering our subdivision.  The  intertwined branches above the street are covered with lacy white blossoms that shower petals like delicate snowflakes.

I wave at my neighbor and stop my car in front of her yard to exchange pleasantries. She’s raking up those last stubborn leaves that refused to drop until forced by new growth.  We agree that we still need to exchange recipes for her dip and my Chex “trash” from the past holiday social, the last time we actually talked.  That extra daylight offers more chances for social mingling instead of social media.

   

Thank the Congress for codifying this great idea, back in the days when they could agree on something simple, DST—Want to know more facts about daylight savings time? Read this article. And don’t forget to reset your clocks on March 10. Then hang out and reconnect on your home turf in the evening light.