2023 Contest Winner

Homeowner	Lois S
Location	El Cajon
Yard	Front

Project

After years of high-water usage, lack of rain, and rabbit-yard invaders, Lois, a retired registered nurse, converted what was once a green front lawn with rose bushes into a water-wise landscape she calls “Nana’s Garden” that uses approximately 41% less water than before. In 2020, she applied for and received a $4,161 rebate from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Landscape Transformation Program to remove 1,387 square feet of turf. Lois followed that up in 2021 by applying for the San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program, which offers free classes on upgrading your yard. She enlisted the help of others to build Nana’s Garden. Neighborhood kids and her best friend, a succulent fanatic, helped to plant native plants. A gardener converted her irrigation system from sprinklers to drip, capping 17 of 19 sprinkler heads, leaving two for drip irrigation. The drip system and a rain barrel water her plants.

Plants Used

Arbutus Marina, Cercis Occidentalis, Parkinsonia Aculeata, Phlomis Fruticosa, Leomotis Leonurus, Mimulus Aurantiacus, Lonicera Interrupta, Lantana, Salvia Farinacea, Salvia Longispicata Farinacea, Achillea Millefolium, Gaura Lindheimeri, Calandrinia Geriophyllo, Lavandula, Syringa Vulgaris, Aeonium Kiwi, Crassula Perforata, Dudleya Brittonii, Senecio Serpens, Haworth’s Aeonium, Senecio