Gardening by example

Being water efficient doesn’t mean that planting gardens full of colorful flowers can’t be done.

It’s a message brought to you by the city of Costa Mesa.

“The whole idea is to see what City Hall has done and see how those plants do in Costa Mesa,” said Bruce Hartley, Costa Mesa’s maintenance services manager.

Earlier this year, the city completed eight “water-wise” gardens around City Hall and in front of the Council Chambers. The landscaping designs for the gardens were donated to the city by licensed contractors who belong to the Orange County chapter of the California Landscape Contractors Assn., a trade group. Some of the plants were also donated to the city, Hartley said.

“If we don’t start putting these types of gardens in public spaces, people won’t know how beautiful they can be,” said Cherie Ciotti-Roco, a licensed contractor who donated two garden designs. “I can design gardens all day long, but people won’t see them. This is the only way people can see how beautiful they can be.”

The idea of planting the gardens began two years ago when the City Council asked staff to look into ways to offer residents and business owners incentives for conserving water, Hartley said.

Discussions with the Mesa Consolidated Water District led to the idea, and two years later, plants like African daisy, yellow bells, magnus purple coneflower, sempervivum and endless summer hydrangea surround City Hall.

“These are beautiful plants from all over the world, they look good year round and require a lot less water,” Ciotti-Roco said.

And the extra bonus is that all of the plants can be found in local nurseries. Village Nurseries in Huntington Beach donated plants for four of the city gardens, Hartley said.

Each garden has a name like “Go Global — Save Water,” or “Tropical with a Conscience,” and a sign listing the plants and information on how to be water wise throughout the district, Hartley said.

Councilwoman Wendy Leece said she’s very happy with how the gardens around City Hall look. She plans to buy some of the same plants for her home.

“They are great,” she said. “We’re setting an example for conserving water.”

For more information on the contractors’ association, visit www.clca-orangecounty.org.