Without a doubt, drought doesn’t mean yards must be brown and down

Selling drought-resistant plants and shrubs makes for a drought-resistant business, as some area nurseries can attest.

Indeed, water restrictions imposed by the state, cities and water districts are making homeowners rethink their landscaping. Less available water doesn’t mean you have to endure brown grass and dying plants, though. It’s a matter of planting what looks good and doesn’t need much water.

And with agencies threatening to fine them for waste or not following watering rules, homeowners are getting the message: Cactus, rock and other plants with camel-like characteristics are the new bluegrass. What works in Arizona works here as well.

Along Highway 120 north of Ripon, Poots Cactus Nursery has seen such a rise in sales that owners William and Roelyn Poot have been able to add staff.

“We’ve been able to have our son (Brian) go full time,” Roelyn Poot said. “(Customers) know when they come here that we only sell cactus and succulents. Last Saturday was the busiest day we’ve ever had.”

They’ve been selling plenty of trichocereous, a cactus native to Bolivia and Argentina.

“They all bloom with colorful flowers,” Poot said. “Sixty to 300 flowers per plant, and they bloom three times a year.”

Likewise, Cynthia Austin Tanis is designing at least three new yards a week for customers at Morris Nursery in Riverbank. She draws up the plans, including what kind of stone and gravel to use and the kinds of plants that will make for a colorful yard on minimal water.

“I do the design part,” she said. “The fun part.”

She’s also working to create a contest for drought-resistant yards, hoping agencies including irrigation districts will get on board to encourage participation.

The author of a Kindle book titled “The Timeless Allure of Lavender,” Tanis likes to mix numerous varieties of that plant with other herbs and perennials to get the desired effect.

She prefers “Mediterranean” to “Phoenix” when it comes to describing her landscapes, using flagstone and decomposed granite to fill up space, then strategically placing the plants for color.

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Without a doubt, drought doesn’t mean yards must be brown and down."