THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Have you recently exchanged some plants in your garden with less thirsty alternatives? Is your irrigation system now operated by a SMART controller? Are you composting your garden waste? Are you gardening organically? Do you harvest rainwater from your roof or direct the overflow into groundwater absorbing swales? Maybe you just have a great-looking Mediterranean garden that you’re really proud of.

Ultimately, perhaps you’re just one of the local gardeners who “get it.” Rather than rail against your climate, you embrace it. You’ve adapted your garden to Southern California’s available natural resources. Yes, you understand the joy and the importance of gardening with nature, not against it. Since you find it such a simple and beautiful way to garden, you don’t really understand why more of your neighbors don’t garden similarly.

If any of these scenarios ring true, you should enter your garden in the 2009 California Friendly Garden Contest.

Take three pictures of your garden and answer four or five simple questions. With a digital camera you can enter electronically in less than 10 minutes, and entering the contest allows you to show off your garden to others, encouraging them to follow your lead.

The California Friendly Garden Contest awards and recognizes those Orange County gardens that are not only beautiful but are sustainable and climate appropriate. Entry is simple and free, and winners receive cash prizes. Entries are being accepted now through April 16. The earlier you enter, the better your chances since photographs are placed on the contest website in the order they are received. Online voting will begin April 17.

Now in its third year, the contest is organized and supported by a coalition of public agencies, environmental groups and green-industry businesses to encourage and reward “California Friendly” gardens.

If you’re not sure what a “California Friendly” garden is, it is a garden that “fits” Southern California. It is a garden that does not rely on excessive artificial support, like copious amounts of water, nutrition or even a gardener’s time and energy. In turn, a California Friendly garden is one that works with the environment around it — not polluting, contributing excessive waste or spreading invasive plants.

If your garden offers even a few California Friendly qualities it would be worth entering it into the contest.

The judges of the contest will be looking at ways the gardens keep water on the plants and off the curbs and out of the storm drains. This water, called landscape runoff, carries pollutants with it as it ultimately empties into to local bays and the ocean. The use of organic principles, especially plant nutrition and sensible pest controls, will also be an advantage.

Of course, the judges like to see plants that are water-efficient, but some thirsty plants in the garden are still acceptable. The judges know that some thirsty plants will be in almost every Orange County garden.

That’s OK. They just want to see that these plants are grouped into proper irrigation zones. In other words, some impatiens or pansies are OK, so long as they are not under a drought-tolerant olive tree or lining a row of not-thirsty lavender plants.

To enter this year’s California Friendly Garden Contest or to learn more go to www.rogersgardens.com/ GardenContest. Good luck.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.