Roger’s Gardens makes saving water sexy

I spoke with Ron Vanderhoff of Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar, Calif., last week about how the store conserves water. We had a great conversation and I was duly impressed with what they’re doing. (Most of our conversation will be in the June issue of Garden Center Magazine in the Project: Green series.)

Ron sent some fantastic photos to illustrate what Roger’s is doing. The format we have for Project: Green prevents my using the photos there, but they are so impressive, I wanted to make sure you could see what Roger’s has been up to.

Roger’s is doing a lot of things to encourage the community to be more water wise, mostly through a clever inspiration campaign. A main feature of the campaign is the extensive landscape gardens that surround the garden center. Here’s a snapshot of one landscaped bed before being renovated. Notice the huge amount of runoff. (You can click on any photo to see a larger version.)

Now here’s an after shot of the zero-runoff landscaping. The mulch looks moist, but there’s no runoff.

Here’s another shot that shows just how sexy water-wise gardens can be. Located in arid California, this garden is filled with plants that are a perfect fit to their climate. Ron said there are three things that make this a zero-runoff garden. First, Roger’s used the right plants in the right places. Second, the irrigation is run by a “smart controller,” which is tied into local weather stations. It triggers irrigation only when it’s needed. Part three are the rotator sprinkler heads, which flow much more slowly than conventional (allowing water to percolate in) and spread the water more evenly by spraying at a slightly different level upon each revolution.

In the store itself, Roger’s promotes water-wise gardening with this display. The box in the lower left corner is a sample of what a smart controller looks like.

Naturally, Roger’s is pushing water-friendly plants in a big way. But in-store displays are certainly not stodgy. Take a look at this gorgeous display. It certainly makes me covet drought-resistant plants.

Here’s a shot of the tags the store uses for plants in this program.

Another linchpin of Roger’s strategy is the California Friendly Garden Contest. This in-store display urges customers to participate.

To finish off, here’s a statement from a water-wise flier that shows how Roger’s is positioning itself: “Roger’s Gardens, its staff and its customers will be the leader of this new spirit of responsible, sustainable, climate appropriate gardening. Roger’s Gardens will encourage and promote beautiful and inspiring gardens at homes and in our community, while protecting and conserving our natural resources.”

-- Carol