THE COASTAL GARDENER:

For the gardeners of Orange County, myself included, this past year has been momentous. Memories, triumphs and challenges; certainly we have had our share of challenges. A few of my thoughts about the 2007 gardening year:

More than ever, this past year in the garden has been about nature and the environment. Environmental issues — conserving resources, coastal pollution, green waste, wildfires, organics and invasive plants — have been so unconsciously intermingled into our gardening lives that everything else pales by comparison.

Water, or the lack of water, may have been the biggest story. With just 2.5 inches of rainfall, the driest year in recorded history, county gardeners began to come to grips with the realities of where they live and where they garden. The message became clearer as the year progressed: Water is a limited resource, not a limitless one.

Calls for conservation became louder as water districts pondered restrictive ordinances, cities initiated water patrols and experts tried to re-educate us all in ways to use less water.

For me, the most enlightening moment was when I received the results of a statewide water survey of homeowners. A few of the results caught my attention:

 Gardeners either grossly underestimate or are completely unaware of the amount of water they use on their gardens;

 55% said they have no idea how much water they use;

 Of the 45% who ventured a guess, 68% think they use less than 50 gallons per day (185 gallons is the statewide average — much more in Orange County);

 94% indicated that their own outdoor water use was less than the average!

But the relationship of a garden to the environment did not end with water. Other environmental issues were on the minds of gardeners. Landscape water runoff, polluting our local beaches and bays was prominent. The city of Newport Beach, a national leader in the effort to curb landscape runoff, continued to give away expensive state-of-the-art irrigation controllers to savvy homeowners, while water districts upped their rebates on efficient sprinklers.

Invasive plants, or those that wander from our gardens into our natural areas, may be the next challenge. In 2007, a statewide coalition of public agencies, businesses and environmental advocates, all working together, launched the PlantRight campaign in an effort to stem the threat of invasive plants. You’ll hear a lot more about this issue in 2008.

In response to the move toward “green” gardens, many tried to do the right thing. The use of organic fertilizers, biological pest controls and other earth-friendly products might now be the norm, rather than the exception.

Conserving water, reducing runoff and protecting the environment all came together in Orange County’s first California Friendly Landscape Contest. Participation was well above expectations and brought even more attention to the need for local gardens that fit our environment and protect our natural resources.

As gardeners tried to change old habits and adjust to a new era of gardening, nature sent a response. On Oct. 20, wildfires began burning across Southern California. Within a few days 1,500 homes and countless gardens were destroyed. An area the size of Orange County was burned. Nurseries were burned as well, including some here in Orange County.

I’ll never forget the call I received at 3 a.m. from a friend who grows nursery plants in eastern San Diego County. It was at the height of the firestorms, and he was frantic. The flames were about two miles away, burning through the dry hills nearby. The air was hot and dry and choked with ash.

“I can’t get into my nursery, Ron. I haven’t been able to water for two days now. If I don’t water I’ll lose everything. I’ll have nothing to sell this year. The nursery is my whole life — it’s all I have. I don’t know what to do.”

In an ironic way it reminded me just how important water is. By the way, he did get in, just in time, and did preserve his livelihood.

Finally, a couple of personal notes on this past year. I devoted less time to visiting distant gardens than to visiting distant garden centers. In 2007 I made new friends, discovered new plants and found inspiration in such places as Kentucky, Washington, Illinois, New York, Baltimore and Pennsylvania. And I moved my own garden a mile and a half up the street, where I will begin again, from the ground up. A new gardening year begins.

ASK RON

Question: How can I apply for one of the rebates on Smart Sprinkler controllers? I’m wanting to install one in the next month or two.

John

Newport Beach

Answer: Good for you, John. The average rebate for these is $540, which includes installation costs as well as the controller. That makes changing to a state-of-the-art controller almost free. Go to www.mwdoc.com/SmarTimer/Homeowners.htm to find out more or to apply for the rebate. There are a few different brands available, but I believe WeatherTRAK is the best ( www.weathertrak.com).

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener@rogersgardens.com, or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.