The Coastal Gardener:

Next Thursday evening the winners of Orange County’s 2009 California Friendly Garden Contest will be announced.

Now in its third year, the contest identifies and rewards a few of those gardeners in Orange County who have not only beautiful gardens, but gardens that are water efficient and resource conserving.

A few days ago, at 8 a.m., nine expert judges piled into a cramped van. Loaded with clipboards, score sheets and cameras, we set out on a road trip, a trip that would take us to all corners of Orange County. Our mission was to see each of the 10 semi-finalist gardens, compare them and ultimately determine this year’s winners of the California Friendly Garden Contest.

Nine hours and nearly 200 miles later, we had selected the winners.

What makes a garden California friendly? It is often a compilation of many small adjustments, inconspicuous techniques and subtle plant selections.

California-friendly gardens are everywhere. They are in every neighborhood. There may be one right down the street from you. Yours might be one. Because California friendly gardens are created from many subtle adjustments, they often go unnoticed, even in our own neighborhoods.

On judging day we looked for these small nuances, walkways and exposed areas that were offered permeable surfaces, like decomposed granite.

Secondary paths may have been assembled of pavers or flagstone set without mortar, allowing even more water to absorb into the garden. These are subtle techniques, but very effective at reducing water runoff.

We noticed a narrow grate at the bottom of a driveway, unseen to most. But through this grate entered all of the water, and pollutants from the driveway — an oily solution that would have otherwise gone to the ocean.

This nearly invisible little canal efficiently put this water back into the earth, to be cleansed by the soil and its microorganisms.

Sprinklers and irrigation devices are nearly invisible. But an efficient system, delivering water to plants and not sidewalks, is always a component of a resource-friendly garden. In the best gardens, spray heads are unobstructed, spacing is thoughtful and the flow of water is restrained. And irrigation timers are weather sensitive or at least actively managed. Gardens may look similar at a glance, but a garden with an efficient irrigation system will conserve water, while a similar appearing garden may be a water waster. It’s all in the details.

So California-friendly gardens might not stand out. Don’t expect them to look like a desert or the weeds of a vacant lot. California-friendly gardens are often lush and colorful, blending into and enhancing the neighborhood. It’s not big expensive changes that make a garden California friendly, it’s more often these small, nearly invisible adjustments.

Of course, gardens are about plants, and on judging day we looked carefully at the plants. Certainly, using low water plants is an advantage in a contest like this and several gardens incorporated California native selections. Succulents and plants from the world’s other Mediterranean climates were well represented.

But the judges were looking deeper than just the plant species; we were looking at how the plants in each garden were combined. Were they grouped by their water needs? Were low water plants irrigated together? Were thirstier plants separated and irrigated differently? The judges know that low water plants, like rosemary, lavender, olive trees, salvias and bougainvillea are common in local gardens. But if these low-water plants are intermixed with their thirsty relatives then their water conservation is in theory only. Grouping plants by water needs is a subtle and often unnoticed technique of a California-friendly garden.

We looked even deeper into the gardens. Were the gardens wildlife friendly? Were birds present? Were pollinators visiting the garden? We scraped at the soil to see how deep the mulch layer was. Did the downspout on the roof drain directly to the street or did it direct its precious resource into the garden or a swale? Was the roof water being harvested and saved, for later use? Were invasive plants present in the garden? These are the subtleties of a California-friendly garden.

It was quite a day. I wish each of you could have climbed in that van with us and seen each of these great gardens, gardens not much different from all of ours.

A California-friendly garden may be more achievable than ever — just several subtle, nearly invisible adjustments away.

Ask Ron

Question: When will the winners of the California Friendly Garden Contest be announced?

Jay

Answer: A perfect question for this week! This year’s award winners will be announced at a special event at from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Roger’s Gardens. An RSVP to (949) 640-5800 is requested. A plein air art show will coincide, with wine and light hors d’oeuvres served.

ASK RON

your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.