These Beautiful gardens require less water, but don’t look dry; they are attractive, lush and evergreen because their designers followed the principles of the watershed approach to landscaping. While conventional landscapes allow water to run off the property and often waste water, watershed wise landscapes are designed to hold on to rainwater and reduce the demand for supplemental irrigation. In the pages that follow, you’ll see inspirational gardens that allow us to continue enjoying California’s varied and amazing climate and outdoor lifestyle, while conserving valuable natural resources and creating a diverse habitat of plants and insects. If we want California landscapes that are truly resilient to changes in climate and ecosystems, we need to go beyond sustainable and water wise principles to begin managing each property as though it were a mini-watershed. By paying attention to the design of the garden, building soil and keeping rain on our properties, selecting climate-appropriate plants and managing supplemental irrigation, we transform our landscapes into abundant watershed wise enhancements to our properties and neighborhoods.

This book is organized in a way that will help you change your landscape, whether you do it yourself or work with professionals. You may not be able to do everything at once, so planning is essential.