2.4c Landscaping

Feature	Smart irrigation includes drip irrigation, using native plants and hydrozoning At this home in Santa Barbara, California, the owners took out the lawn and rose bushes, which required a lot of water, and put in a pleasing garden of native plants surrounded by water-saving mulch.
Weather- or Sensor-Based Irrigation Control Technology	According to the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program: Weather- or sensor-based irrigation control technology uses local weather and landscape conditions to tailor irrigation schedules to actual conditions on the site or historical weather data. Instead of irrigating according to a preset schedule, advanced irrigation controllers allow irrigation to more closely match the water requirements of plants. These new control technologies offer significant potential to improve irrigation practices in homes, businesses, parks, and schools across the United States.
Xeriscapes	From the NAHB Research Center: If landscapes are designed using plants with water requirements corresponding to typical local rainfall patterns, significantly less water will be needed for irrigation. This is the simple concept behind Xeriscaping, a term coined by western land planning authorities dealing with water shortages in the 1970s. The initial costs of xeriscaping can be higher than other landscaping due to its comprehensive nature. Planners must study the area and find suitable vegetation, and the costs to install the vegetation may be higher as well. Because the landscape is designed to be better suited for its surrounding environment, costs for the upkeep of the vegetation will be less than costs for a landscape not specific for the surrounding environment.
Hydrozoning	In this strategy, plants with similar water needs are zoned together. This strategy earns extra points in the NAHB’s National Green Building Standard rating system.
Porous Hardscaping	This strategy does not save the homeowners money, but is for the greater good, and this could add value to socially responsible buyers. Porous hardscaping allows rainwater to percolate back into the ground rather than running off into gutters, onto streets, and eventually out to the sea. Driveways can be made of pervious concrete, and patio can be made of pervious pavers. In this photo, you see pervious pavers alongside a green Santa Barbara home. (Photo: Los Angeles Times)
Resources	• Water-Efficient Landscaping by the EPA in PDF • LEED for Homes Water-Efficiency point system