THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 3, 1995 TAG: 9505030116
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
You're a homeowner or a renter and it's spring. Suddenly, you have a yen to jazz up your yard - add a little color, spice up the greenery.
Hold the phone. Don't turn on that sprinkler.
Those old water restrictions remain in place despite the likelihood that water from Lake Gaston will be piped into Virginia Beach starting in 1998.
Veteran landscaping architect B. Pat Bridges, a member of the city's Water Conservation Awareness Committee, says Lake Gaston is a short-range solution to water problems locally. Such shortages are an increasing global problem as well.
``There are going to be water shortages - some more severe than others,'' he said. ``I think we ought to make water conservation a part of our long-range plans, what with the growing population and industrialization.''
In 1992 the City Council declared a water supply emergency and established restrictions on its use. Since then city residents have been unable to use city water to irrigate lawns or shrubbery, wash cars, hose down driveways, fill family swimming pools or operate ornamental fountains - except by using a three-gallon bucket.
Private wells are a different matter; restrictions don't apply there.
Conservation is the order of the day. It can even pay off.
For instance, the city's Water Conservation office is sponsoring a water-wise landscaping and gardening contest and offers a $150 prize to the winner in each of three categories.
Judging will be based on planning and design, practical turf use, soil improvement, effective use of mulches and water-thrifty plants, and proper maintenance.
Now, you ask, how do I spruce up the yard and still conserve water? What kind of grass or plants can I use that will look pretty and yet require little watering?
Bridges, co-author of a city pamphlet on water-wise gardening and landscaping, offers these tips:
Mulch those planting beds. Use pine bark, pine needles, peat moss, well-rotted garden compost or grass clippings around shrubs, trees, flowers and vegetables. Mulching reduces evaporation and keeps the soil cooler.
Plant grass that is not water-demanding in this area, such as Bermuda or Zoysia, which thrive in hot weather. So do St. Augustine and centipede grasses. Fescue requires a lot of water, so select a less thirsty alternative.
Reduce the amount of lawn space in your yard by expanding mulched beds. Raise your mower blade and mow less frequently.
Don't overdo fertilizing in late spring or summer. It promotes growth and increases water demand.
Control weeds. Weeds compete for water with other plants.
Plant ground covers, i.e. periwinkle, liriope or creeping juniper. They will help reduce water demand and help absorb fertilizer runoff from plant beds and lawns.
Choose plants that don't demand a lot of water such as sedum, liriope, vinca minor, periwinkle, glossy abelia, hosta, spreading fern, rose of sharon, butterfly bushes, crape myrtle, daylily hybrids, creeping juniper, and dwarf yaupon holly, among others.
Create extensive shaded areas. Shade keeps ground areas cooler and thus reduces demand for water. Trees that fit the water conservation bill include October glory red maple, marshall's seedless green ash, willow oak and Green Vase zelkova. Also on the approved list: Southern magnolia, loblolly pine, live oak, river birch, Chinese redbud, Chinese fringe tree, flowering dogwood, crape myrtle and flowering crabapple.
Prune only when necessary. Shearing tree limbs, shrubs and plants creates demand for more water to handle new growth. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
CASH PRIZE CONTEST
Want to cash in on the city's water conservation efforts? Enter the
1995 water-wise landscape gardening contest. Entries must be
submitted by May 31. The winner in each of three categories will get
a $150 cash prize. For more information, call the city's Water
Conservation office at 427-4105.
by CNB