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San Diego, CA (Feb. 9, 2010)—A full-color plant list with photos, called the Nifty-50: Plants for Water Smart Landscapes, is now available to the public through the Water Conservation Garden and participating nurseries.
The list narrows the diverse selection of plants that thrive in San Diego’s semiarid climate to 50 choices, each of which made the list for these common factors: they are attractive, often available in nurseries, non-invasive, easy to maintain, long-term performers, and drought-tolerant once established. These plants are also labeled and on display at the Water Conservation Garden, which gives gardeners a preview of what the plants will look like when they mature.
The plant list includes shrubs, perennials, grasses, groundcovers, and more. Originally created by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the list was re-worked by a team of experts that included Water Conservation Garden staff, to fit with the above-listed criteria. It was then transformed by the San Diego County Water Authority into a poster with full-color photos of the plants, which can be hung on a wall easy reference or folded down to be carried in a pocket. Both the botanical and common names are included for each plant, and the reverse side of the list includes 10 handy water-saving tips for the garden.
The list is not meant to exclude other options, as Marty Eberhardt, Executive Director of the Water Conservation Garden points out. “We put together a group of horticultural experts, and they agreed on this list, which is an achievement in itself,” said Eberhardt. “There are many, many other wonderful, low-water-use plant choices for this region, but the list narrows the choices to some especially good performers that are fairly easy to find to help people get started.”
Visitors can pick up a free copy of the Nifty-50 list at the Water Conservation Garden 7 days a week from 9am-4pm, during Garden visiting hours. The brochure also can be viewed online from the homepage of the Garden’s website, www.thegarden.org.
Editor’s Note: High resolution photos of plants featured in the Nifty 50 list are available upon request.
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