Archive for category: Blog

Capitol Park is the oldest arboretum west of the Mississippi River. It sets on 40 acres that surround the Capitol. It has been called “California’s front yard”. It was founded in 1860. It contains over 1,000 trees. Many of them are historic icons. Some were removed from Civil War Battlefields and replanted in the Park. Located on the Park grounds are over 150 monuments relating to significant events and people involving California. The World Peace Rose Garden is one of the finest in the country. It is considered the official park of California. It is worth taking the time to tour these historic grounds.

William Baker and Associates LLC (WBA) have been consultants in the Park for over 15 years. The company Principal, William Baker, co-authored the “CAPITOL PARK TRAINING MANUAL – Descriptions and Guidelines for Horticultural Practices”. We continue to provide advice and training to Park staff, and maintain a research site on the grounds. The research is part of a study funded by the Dept. of Water Resources and managed by the University of California. WBA is the contractor on the project. Previous studies in the Park that involved WBA include an organic mulch demonstration site.

The California Department of General Services (DGS) has just initiated a new Water-Smart Renovation project in Capitol Park. A mulching demonstration site has been installed on the East steps of the Capitol. This location will be highly visible to the more than one million visitors that come to the Park each year. It is the first step towards the removal of 76,000 square feet of turfgrass. Further improvements include the creation of a drought-tolerant demonstration garden and a park-wide efficiency audit of the irrigation system. If funding is approved, a new irrigation system could be installed and operational by 2018. It would be designed to utilize recycled water.

As the drought continues, California’s reservoir levels have dropped dramatically, especially in the state’s major reservoirs which currently sit at 43% of historical averages. While comparisons to the 1976 water year have been made, Department of Water Resources Chief Hydrologist Maury Roos says statewide conditions are more similar to those of the 1992 water year.

“It’s probably comparable with what it was at the end of 1992, the end of 1992 water year, which was a six year period of drought,” said Roos in an interview with Capitol Public Radio.

As of November 11, DWR figures show that major reservoir levels are as follows:

According to DWR’s current data, Lake Oroville is currently at 915,220 acre-feet – which is only 33,200 acre-feet more than the record low-level of 882,000 acre-feet for the reservoir.

April 30, 2014

Be Fire Smart!

High winds and hot, dry weather = fire threat

Southern California is experiencing extremely hot, dry weather, compounded by powerful Santa Ana winds, gusting up to 75 mph in some areas, prompting red flag warnings.  Temperatures in some areas could reach 100°.   The prolonged drought has made the threat of fire very high. 

Homeowners can take measures to keep fire from their homes. 

• Clear leaves and debris from gutters, eaves, patios and decks.
• Keep your lawn hydrated and clear all brush and dead vegetation away from house.
• Keep tree tops pruned.
• When planting, choose native fire-resistant landscape.

High winds and hot, dry weather = fire threat

Southern California is experiencing extremely hot, dry weather, compounded by high winds.  Powerful Santa Ana winds are gusting up to 75 mph in some areas, prompting red flag warnings.  Temperatures in some areas could reach 100°.   The prolonged drought has made the threat of fire very high. 

Homeowners can take measures to keep fire from their homes.

• Clear leaves and debris from gutters, eaves, porches and decks.
• Keep your lawn hydrated and clear all brush and dead vegetation away from house.
• Keep tree tops pruned.
• Don’t let debris and lawn cuttings linger. Dispose of these items quickly to reduce fuel for fire.
• When planting, choose native fire-resistant landscape.

On January 17, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown declared California a state of emergency due to drought.  California is facing the worst drought in years and every Californian is being asked to reduce their water by 20%.  For most homeowners, the biggest water user is green grass.  Sprinkler heads come in different sizes.  Therefore, the rate of flow will be determined by the head-size, the frictional losses in the supply pipework, and the head of water available. Lawn sprinklers are usually small pop-ups putting out 1.5 to 2 gals. per minute.  For example, if each valve is operating 10 sprinklers at 1.5 gals per sprinkler, you are using 15 gallons of water per minute.  (10 x 1.5 =15 gallons per minute.)  Let’s say you run your sprinklers for 10 minutes each day.  That is 150 gallons of water per day!   No matter how you add it up, that’s a lot of water! 

The easiest way to reduce water is to reduce green grass.  Drought tolerant plants adapt easily to our California landscape and require water infrequently once established.   Even better are the California native plants which cannot tolerate drip irrigation and many need almost no irrigation at all.  A light watering to clean off the leaves is often sufficient.  Another plus is that many native plants are fire resistant, reducing the risk of wildfire around your home.  Native plants provide natural habitats for native birds, hummingbirds, bumble bees and butterflies.

The top ten natives most easily grown in the Southern California garden are:  Pigeon Point, California Lilacs, Blue-Eyed Grass, which can be used a ground cover, Coffeeberry, which provides berries for native birds, Deer Grass, Manzanitas, Monkey flowers, Penstemons, Salivias and California Fushias.  Aside from Deer Grass, they all produce beautiful flowers and add beauty to your garden as well as reducing your use of water.