North Carolina garden center sounds alarm about local water restrictions

Ongoing drought conditions in the Southeast continue to complicate the lives of garden retailers. Homewood Nursery & Garden Center in Raleigh, N.C., recently sent an e-mail update to customers about the possibility of local water restrictions.

The ability of local independent garden centers and landscaping firms to operate in this community is in jeopardy. In response to the drought, the Raleigh City Council is proposing a total ban on outdoor watering. This could be the death knell for many local independent companies many of whom, like Homewood, have operated in Raleigh for years.

And the landscapes that you have invested in, the ones that bring value to your homes, which offer privacy, beauty, and a home for wildlife; which give back to the environment, may be damaged or possibly destroyed by this proposal.

We are asking the council not to impose this ban which we feel goes too far. We think that the infrastructure that wastes water should be addressed and that all local industry should be doing their part by reducing consumption by 15%. We are also asking that homeowners be allowed to hand water and use efficient drip irrigation.

Please show your support for local businesses such as Homewood. You can contact the Mayor and the City Council at the email addresses below:

Mayor:
charles.meeker@ci.raleigh.nc.us

City Council:
russ.stephenson@ci.raleigh.nc.us
nancy.mcfarlane@ci.raleigh.nc.us
mary-ann.baldwin@ci.raleigh.nc.us
rodger.koopman@ci.raleigh.nc.us
james.west@ci.raleigh.nc.us
thomas.crowder@ci.raleigh.nc.us
pisley@boyceisley.com

Sincerely,
Joe Stoffregen
President
Homewood Nursery & Garden Center