Congratulations to the ten winners of our first annual Water Authority Desert Friendly Landscape Contest! Thank you for sharing your beautiful gardens with us. They will be an inspiration for others to make the switch to desert-friendly landscapes.
A Garden for the Senses
What once was a sandy empty lot in the NW has now become a garden that provides food, attracts birds and other pollinators and stimulates the five senses. “The flowers smell great through the seasons, we grow vegetables that we use on our plates,” say homeowners Adam and Meagan Henrie, who like the balance of having aesthetically pleasing and functional areas in the garden.
The Henrie’s accessed online resources, including 505Outside.com, to help decide which plants to incorporate into their garden. During trips to local garden centers, they identified plants that were thriving in their neighborhood. They chose low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants and installed a drip and spray irrigation system using the latest technology. Local irrigation supply stores helped them choose irrigation system components and come up with a design for the irrigation system that they could follow.
When they planted new trees, they turned to the Water Authority and took advantage of the Treebate from the Water Authority. This rebate program also helps them with costs for tree maintenance.
“We love that our oasis attracts pollinators like birds, bees, butterflies, and also other wildlife like rabbits and roadrunners,” say Meagan.
100’s of Pollinators Can’t be Wrong!
The landscape around Elliott house in the NE used to be a sea of gravel, but now it is recognized by the Fish and Wildlife Backyard Refugee Program. During the past several years, Elliott has spent time transforming his yard into a habitat that attracts insects and wildlife.
“I wanted a yard that will change through the seasons and has a diversity of local drought-tolerant native plants,” he explains. “My goal was to add plants that will attract pollinators, so I started with the ones that were growing in the wild.”
Elliott learned about plants by doing lots of research, including reading information on the Albuquerque Native Plant Society’s website, accessing a list of plants from the Backyard Refugee Program, and visiting the store Plants of the Southwest. His goal was to have a lush, diverse and sustainable landscape that benefits wildlife and does not depend on supplemental water outside of rainwater.
Like the Henrie’s, Elliott has taken advantage of the Water Authority’s Treebate when planting new trees.
“I love all the pollinators, diversity of plants, and my learning journey along the way. Now I get to educate and share my experience with others,” says Elliott, who hopes his yard is an inspiration to his friends and neighbors.
Low Water Paradise
With the goal of reducing water usage, the owners of this home in the Northeast Heights first turned their attention to the property’s big, hardly-used front lawn. Once they learned about the Xeriscape rebate from the Water Authority, they immediately called to get more information and help with choosing plants that would enhance their property.
The transformation started by renting a sod cutter to remove the lawn as part of the Desert Friendly Xeriscape Conversion Rebate. They were able to save the turfgrass and transplant it to their son’s yard.
Landscape professionals were hired to create a design and install the swale, plants, and drip irrigation system. It only took one week to transform the 880-square-foot front yard from a high-water use turf lawn to a desert-friendly xeriscape with a diversity of plants that are supported by rain and drip irrigation.
Because of the transformation, the homeowners earned an $880 credit on their water bill! An extra benefit came when they participated in the Treebate program. Now, the homeowners take pride in their yard, which has attracted pollinators and interest from neighbors. They also are learning how to maintain and care for their new plants so their landscape will continue to bring enjoyment in the years ahead
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Water-Wise Vegetable Gardening
With our hot summers and low precipitation, growing vegetables in NM can be challenging. This talk will provide strategies and recommendations for growers to cultivate a thriving vegetable harvest in the region. Discussion will include irrigation and infrastructure suggestions, as well as selection of vegetable varieties that are well-adapted to the area.
Instructor:Stephanie Walker, PhD. Professor and Vegetable Specialist, New Mexico State University, Extension Plant Sciences Department.
Maintaining Tree Health During Drought
Learn from Albuquerque’s leading tree expert how to identify drought stress in trees, understand their responses to drought, and implement strategies to keep them alive and thriving in hot, dry weather.
Instructor:Joran Viers, Board Certified Master Arborist and Municipal Specialist, International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Senior Arborist, Legacy Tree Company, Albuquerque. Former City Forester, City of Albuquerque
Creating a Drought-Tolerant Refuge for Yourself and Wildlife
Instructor:Laurel Ladwig, M.S. She is the ABQ Backyard Refuge Program Director for the Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, a part-time faculty member in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, and Associate Director of the R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography at the University of New Mexico and is enthusiastic about all opportunities to encourage people to develop a relationship with our wild neighbors.
Designing Resilient Landscapes: Plant Adaptations, Communities, and Selection for Arid Environments
Instructor:Maria Thomas is the Curator of Plants at the ABQ BioPark where she manages the botanical exhibits, plant collections, horticultural staff, and related programs for the 150-acre public park and garden. Additionally, Maria is an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico in the Landscape Architecture department.
Climate-Ready Trees- Planting for a Warmer and (Hopefully) Shadier Future
Instructor:Marisa Y. Thompson, PhD Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist. New Mexico State University Department of Extension Plant Sciences, Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, Think Trees NM, President of the Board (2023-current).
Plant Adaptations to Heat & Drought
Noticing the Ways Plants Thrive in our Yards and Natural Areas Learn how to Recognize Drought-Adapted Traits in Everyday Plants all Around Us.
Instructor:Marisa Y. Thompson, PhD Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist. New Mexico State University Department of Extension Plant Sciences, Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, Think Trees NM, President of the Board (2023-current).
Hose Bib Tree Irrigation System for Your Trees: Simple Systems for Thriving Trees!
Instructor:Richard Perce has twenty years’ experience working with trees and irrigation here in New Mexico. He is a former certified arborist and currently holds the Irrigation Association’s Landscape Irrigation Auditor certification and is a certified QWEL irrigation instructor. He worked as a landscape contractor for more than a decade and is the Water Authority’s former Irrigation Efficiency Specialist. He also has a Masters of Community and Regional Planning from UNM and currently works at Anthropopulus Design + Planning.
Passive Rainwater Harvesting
This workshop introduces participants to the principles and practices of passive rainwater harvesting. Attendees will learn how to capture, slow, spread, and infiltrate rainwater into the landscape using simple, low-cost methods such as swales, berms, and basins. The workshop emphasizes working with the natural flow of water to reduce runoff, prevent erosion, and support healthy soil and plant life. By implementing passive rainwater harvesting, participants can conserve water, and create more resilient, self-sustaining landscapes.
Instructors:Anthony Luketich, Natural Resource Scientist, Anthony Luketich is a Natural Resources Scientist for Bernalillo County where he is focused on water conservation and water-wise landscape practices. He received a degree in Watershed Management and Ecohydrology from the University of Arizona where he studied the relationship between trees and water. Anthony has worked across the Southwest US as a research scientist as well as a water harvesting field technician where he became a certified water harvesting practitioner.
Bobby Mullin, Natural Resource Scientist, Bernalillo County Stormwater Quality Program Bobby Mullin is a Natural Resource Scientist for Bernalillo County in the Stormwater Quality Program. He focuses on improving stormwater quality in the Middle Rio Grande Watershed and promoting sustainable and resilient landscapes using Green Stormwater Infrastructure and rainwater harvesting. Bobby received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Bucknell University in 2011. Before joining Bernalillo County, he had worked as an environmental consultant remediating contaminated soil and groundwater and as a Research Scientist studying the impacts of climate change, drought and plant mortality in New Mexico ecosystems.
Xeriscape: The Desert Friendly Yard
Join us for learning all of the tips, and benefits of our Xeriscape program!
3 Steps to Landscape Success
Service, Settings, and Selection are the keys to landscape success!
