57 of California’s 29 counties — including Santa Clara County — are in states of severe to exceptional drought conditions, according to the US Drought Monitor. Essentially, this means most California residents, at the very least, are experiencing water restrictions and shortages, and as drought conditions become more frequent, it’s necessary to lower residential water consumption.

BACKGROUND

40-60% of California’s residential water is used for landscaping, which makes replacing lawns with drought-tolerant plants an effective and permanent way to reduce water usage. Choosing native plants can be beneficial because they are not only drought tolerant, but also low maintenance and provide habitats to local wildlife. Unlike lawns, drought-tolerant and native plant landscapes create biodiversity and attract essential birds and other species from the surrounding environment. Native plants also contribute to healthier creeks because they require no fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides: all top polluters to creeks.

For more information on drought-tolerant landscaping, native plants, and rebates, check out our case study, compiled by GreenTown’s 2022 summer interns.

MAP of various projects in our neighborhood that demonstrate drought-tolerant landscaping & native plants

Visit our projects (see below) to see all the drought-tolerant plants we have used. Consider replacing your lawn with these plants or adding them to your landscaping.

Also check out the resources on the right to learn how to create a native plant garden and tips on sustainable gardening!

Native plant consultant Nikki Hanson explains the process of planting drought-tolerant native plants at the Woodland Library garden in Los Altos.

1. Woodland Branch Library Drought-Tolerant Demo Garden

Visit the Garden at the library: Location Map

The garden was first planted in 2017 by GreenTown as part of a girl scout project. With the help of landscape designer Nikki Hanson (nikki@cal-sisters.com) of California Sisters Landscapes and many volunteers, GreenTown in 2022 cleaned up the grounds, layered new cardboard, layered compost, planted some new plants and made some adjustments to the drip irrigation system. It will get some wood chips and some new labels soon, and be ready for another five years!

You can see the plant list on CALSCAPE or download a PDF from the Resources section on the right for additional info about how to care for these plants.

2. Planting the Paseo

Visit the installation in the paseo adjacent to Akane restaurant on Third St.

GreenTown collaborated with E3 Youth Philanthropy students interested in pursuing an environmental project. The goals of the project were: (i) to create planter boxes featuring drought-tolerant plants; and (ii) to use them to educate residents about reducing landscape water use. The colorful planters are now on display in downtown Los Altos as part of a flower-themed art installation curated by Arts Los Altos.

Learn more about the work by The E3 Youth Philanthropy team here.

Download a PDF of the list of plant species used in the planter boxes from the Resources section on the right.