Water in the Garden

We live in a world where we have access to information about issues from all around the globe. We know that Los Angeles had its driest rainy season in more than a hundred years last year. We have heard the estimates according to the International Water Management Institute that by 2025, all of Africa and the Middle East, and almost all of South and Central America and Asia, will either be running out of water or unable to afford its cost. We know that in 2003, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported that water managers in 36 states anticipate water shortages locally, regionally, or statewide within the next 10 years. While global warming is a threat to changing climates, ecologies, and environments in the short and long term future, the world is running out of fresh water as I am writing this.

All of this information can seem overwhelming and has made me feel helpless at times. But, then I realized that while it will be hard for me to ensure the fresh water availability of Africa, it might not be so unreasonable to work to protect the watershed that I live in that supports my life. Gardeners are natural land stewards, but we also must learn to protect our water. In the garden this can take many different forms: from putting the right plant in the right place, to managing rainwater runoff responsibly, to incorporating a rain barrel into the garden.

If you are interested in learning about more ways that you can garden sustainably and help to protect and conserve water in your garden, please join us for our upcoming lecture. Jeff Jabco will present the first lecture in our Sustainability Series, titled Water in the Garden: An Opportunity for the Gardener to Help the Planet, on Thursday, May 22^nd at 7:30pm in the Lang Performing Arts Center Cinema. Jeff is the Director of Grounds and Coordinator of Horticulture here at Scott and is a well-known expert on green roofs and sustainable gardening. Please keep your eyes peeled for our future offerings in our Sustainable Series, including a lecture by Doug Tallamy, a native fern workshop, and a lawn alternatives class with Larry Weaner!