By Ginny Geiger and Barbara Anderson
Garden Club of The Lakes
As we drove around in the middle of winter, looking for a yard that could be a Yard of The Month, things looked bleak! There were no pretty green lawns, no pretty flowers, not even any pretty bushes. Everything was brown! Then we drove by Ed and Jo Wall’s home. It was green – all the growing things were green, and there was no dead grass. We stopped immediately.
Why do people do what they do with their yards? What motivates them? Have you ever thought of that? Well, we have because we have seen several different purposes, motives, ideas, or lack thereof.
Some love to work in the dirt, love pretty flowers and plants, hate to mow grass, like exercise, or like to share beauty with their neighbors—you continue the list.
Well, Ed and Jo’s motivation comes from their concern about water consumption and conservation—to the degree that they wanted a “water-free” yard. Ed pointed out that a family of four uses 400 gallons of water daily for home use—without extras like watering lawns and plants. That same family uses 146,000 gallons a year.
“Fresh water is the most important natural resource we have” is Ed’s motivation. Because that drives him to live his life preserving that natural resource, he found a way to conserve our water, starting with his own yard. Everything planted there does not need water other than rainfall.
The ground is covered by mulch, which obviously does not need water, and all the plants are drought tolerant. Ed planted Sago Palms, Sylvester Palms, Pindo Palms, Washingtonia Palms, commonly known as the Mexican Fan Palm, and Loropetalum, also known as Chinese Witch Hazel. Large rocks that Ed got from numerous places are placed around to break up the landscape and add an interesting touch.
Some of these plants are really tall or big, but there is one that shocked us. It is a Sago Palm that is approximately 10 feet high. The Walls have had to move it twice because it grew too big for each location. One of those times was when it began to block their view while they were driving out of their driveway! It is truly amazing!
There is no difference between the Walls’ yard in January and June. It is evergreen and needs no maintenance. Ed does have to spread mulch once a year and cut off a few dead limbs every once in a while. But there is no fertilizing, edging, cutting grass, or pesticides to seep into our water! During a long dry spell, Ed will do what he calls individual spot watering. They have a sprinkler system that has not been turned on for years.
April is Water Conservation Month
When Ed showed such a passion for water conservation, we were reminded of the excellent and informative presentation that Vivian Katz-James, President of the Save Our Lakes Organization, gave at one of our Garden Club meetings.
Vivian so kindly agreed to contribute to this article, explaining the work of SOLO and the importance of conserving one of our most precious natural resources.
Vivian mentioned that April is Water Conservation Month. How fun is that! Here is a summary of Vivian’s information that we hope you will find as interesting as we did.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, the area’s growing population began to overtax our water supply, even though we average an annual rainfall of approximately 51 inches.
Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva are two of the major recharge areas for the Floridan Aquifer, our water supply. The other major recharge area is near Valdosta, Georgia.
Government officials initially responded to dropping lake water levels by emphasizing conservation. However, conservation was not enough.
Officials eventually recognized the need for a new water source, and the St. Johns River Water Management District is now building the Black Creek Water Resource Development Project. The project will recharge the aquifer and is a part of the district’s recovery strategy for Lakes Brooklyn and Geneva.
Vivian concluded by saying that new water projects will be needed as the area’s population grows, but each of us can do our part by conserving as much water as we can.
The Walls have been doing just that since they moved here from Starke 21 years ago. The people and the water resources drew them to Keystone Heights. But most of all, they love our lakes and have a deep desire to conserve our water supply. Can you do your share?
To learn more about Save Our Lakes and get involved, please call Vivian at 904-699-2653.
If you want to learn more about the Garden Club of the Lakes or nominate yourself or anyone in the community for Yard of the Month, please call Pat Lorenzo at (904)728-9460.
