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Save Water - Stay Green"?(R)???? Campaign to Heighten Consumer Awareness 07-21-15 | News

Save Water - Stay Green™ Campaign to Heighten Consumer Awareness

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Photo: Village Nurseries Wholesale

Village Nurseries Wholesale, an Orange County, Calif.-based specialty grower for landscape professionals, is launching a Save Water - Stay Green™ Campaign to help educate consumers that they can save water and still enjoy a beautiful landscape and garden. The key is combining lower water use plants with reduced irrigation, such as drip irrigation and low-flow sprinkler heads.

"Drought-tolerant plants conjure up visions of arid landscapes with little more than cacti, succulents and rocks," said David House, Village Nurseries CEO. "The purpose of our Save Water - Stay Green Campaign is to help raise awareness that we all do indeed need to save water, but that doesn't mean we cannot enjoy a beautiful lush landscape."

Village Nurseries estimates that approximately 70 percent of their 950 acres of inventory will perform well in the markets they serve with less water. About 60 percent of outdoor irrigation is dedicated to turf and a large percentage of exterior landscapes in California still use pop-up irrigation spray heads that are not nearly as water efficient as drip irrigation or low-flow sprinkler heads.

"The net-net is everyone can continue to enjoy the beauty of the trees and shrubs in their outdoor environments," House said. "More prudent irrigation practices are required and in some cases a reduction of turf could be needed, but cactus and rocks need not be the theme,"

The Save Water - Stay Green Campaign will roll out over the coming months. One of the kick-off events was Village Nurseries' recent Horticultural Encounter that guided landscape professionals through vignettes showcasing plants best suited for today's challenging landscape situations. This gives them a deeper understanding of how and where the plants will survive.

Additional resources for conserving water include www.bewaterwise.com®, which includes tips for growing a California Friendly® garden and SoCal Water$mart, which also includes information about turf removal rebates, as well as The WUCOLS Project which was initiated and funded by the Water Use Efficiency Office of the California Department of Water Resources.

A complete listing of low water use plants is available in Village Nurseries' extensive plant library: https://www.villagenurseries.com/product-category/lowwateruse/.