In our ongoing efforts to provide the gardeners of Big Bear
Valley with the most attractive low water-use plants, we
collected seed from the valley's most beautiful wildflowers
and sent them to Las Pilitas Nursery for propagation. Some
of these seedlings should be available for purchase in the
summer of 2005. A similar seed collection effort last fall
led to the sale of over 400 native plants at Hunter's Nursery
last summer. Hopefully, we can double this number in 2005.
Some of the highlights from this year's seed collection include:
more rose sage and sulfur buckwheat, two new species of Penstemon
(P. rostriflorus & P. caesius), milkweed, coyote mint, and
golden rod. Thus, we should have plenty attractive plants
to choose from.
The main goal of this program is to contribute towards providing
attractive plants for low water-use landscapes. Improving
the water-use efficiency in landscapes can make a huge contribution
towards the community's water conservation efforts. The best
ways to reduce outdoor water use are to experiment with your
irrigation system to see how little it really takes to keep
your yard green and healthy. Followed by considering retrofitting
all or a portion of your existing high water-use landscaping
with an attractive low water-use alternative. For additional
ideas on low water-use landscaping and attractive plants
that require little or no supplemental irrigation, call your
water provider or check out DWP's web site at www.bbldwp.com.
