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When Margaret Jose bought a home in Santa Barbara in 2001, one thing was clear to her: she didn’t want to be a slave to a lawn. “We live in a semi-arid Mediterranean climate,” she explains, “So I knew I didn’t want to have sprinklers — especially because there are so many wonderful natives that require very little water.”

Within three months of moving into her new home, Margaret had torn out about 4,000 sq. ft. of lawn. With the help of Joan Calder, the UCSB Greenhouse Manager who teaches Garden Design through Adult Ed. at Santa Barbara City College, Margaret designed a landscape consisting primarily of native and water efficient plants — including Autumn Sage, Mexican Sage, Mexican Poppies, Bougainvillea and Oleander.

Margaret installed a drip irrigation system on a timer to water her new plants and covered the soil with 2 ¼ tons of mulch, which helps retain soil moisture. When relandscaping her yard, Margaret specifically focused on drainage. “We live on clay adobe soil, so when relandscaping make sure to pay attention to drainage,” Margaret advises.  She also replaced the sloped asphalt driveway with permeable brick. During the rainy season, water that runs off the house and permeates through the driveway is collected in a drainage basin that directly waters the plants and trees in her yard.

In addition to relandscaping the yard, Margaret also strives to conserve water indoors. Some of her indoor water conservation practices include: installing low flow showerheads and toilets, taking short showers, turning off the water when she brushes her teeth, maintaining her appliances to make sure nothing is leaking, not leaving the water running when washing dishes, and only running the clothes washer with full loads of laundry.

Margaret continues to learn new ways to conserve water and has recently taken the Family of Santa Barbara County Water Providers, 20-Gallon Water Challenge. Take the 20-Gallon Challenge and learn how you can save water, energy and money, and also be sure to check out Get Energized's water resources page for more information.