- Author: Janet Hartin
an plants help cool our urban heat islands and mitigate impacts of climate change in our inland cities? I've been interested in measuring the temperatures of living and non-living surfaces for some time. Preliminary results are in! Use of dark asphalt, synthetic turf,
What can you do?
Take care of your trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and lawns to maximize their ability to cool the surrounding environment. In the same experiment described above, the coolest temperatures occurred in lawns growing in the shade of a mature tree. This is due to living plants cooling the environment during the process of transpiration. Non-living surfaces don't provide this natural air-conditioning. While many people believe lawns waste water, it's important to fully consider the alternative of replacing a water-efficient warm-season lawn like Bermuda or Buffalograss with either dark mulch or no living plants at all. The lawns are much cooler! Our previous UC studies determined that it's often not the lawns (and other sprinkler-irrigated plants like groundcovers) that waste the water, it's the uneven coverage (low distribution uniformity) of most sprinkler systems, coupled with not applying the right amount of water seasonally.
However, If you're tired of your high maintenance lawn and want to ditch your lawnmower, fertilizers, and pesticides, consider a low-maintenance drought-resistant groundcover that has similar cooling effects without the need for chemical inputs.
Plant drought-tolerant groundcovers
Here are just a few examples:
Peruvian Verbena (Verbena peruviana). This groundcover grows to only 1" tall and sports dark green leaves and white to pinkish (several hybrids available) blossoms that bloom from spring through fall. It spreads quickly and requires little water once established.
Dwarf Rosemary (Rosmarinus prostratus) This particular rosemary species is a low-growing groundcover. It is a great choice for rock gardens, reaching only 6 inches tall. It produces purple flowers in the summer and attracts pollinators and can be used for culinary purposes (bottom).
Gold Dalea (Dalea capitata). This semi-deciduous evergreen grows between 8" to 1' tall and has small yellow flowers that bloom in spring and fall and a pleasant scent. It is very heat tolerant and great for urban heat islands (parking lots, etc.) as well as planters and paths (lower right).
For more information on trees, groundcovers, shrubs, and vines suitable for your own home, contact a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteer in your county using this link: https://mg.ucanr.edu/FindUs/
- Author: Janet Hartin
As 2020 comes to a close, I'd like to express my deep appreciation and thanks to all of our UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener volunteers who have given the ‘gift of their time' to provide credible information to the gardening public. Even during COVID, they've found creative and safe means to continue reaching the public by converting face-to-face classes and workshops to online opportunities.They've gone above and beyond their expected volunteerism by helping those in need during these difficult times by working with our partners to distribute free seeds, trees, and wattles (for erosion control) and ensuring a happy holiday season for children and adults in need through a gift drive. Through COVID, the UCCE Master Gardeners have maintained their email and phone helplines to help county residents solve their gardening quandaries (linked here) mgsanber@ucanr.edu and (909)387-2182.
Master Gardener volunteers helped thousands of county residents landscape more sustainably, grow food in home, community, and school gardens, and deepen their appreciation of nature. They:
- Taught classes on drought-resistant landscapes and growing food in home, school, and community gardens
- Hosted ‘Ask the Master Gardener' sessions
- Provided education to community and school gardeners
- Distributed gardening information and answered questions at Farmers' Markets, community fairs and other events
- Answered home gardening questions via email and phone helplines
- Shared gardening information through social media
- Helped promote planting trees to cool urban heat islands in underserved neighborhoods and communities
- Helped take research data on the 'trees for tomorrow' project
- Published the monthly Master Gardener newsletter (thanks Phoebe, Debbie, Maggie, Robin, Sue and contributing authors!)
A special ‘shout out' to our monthly 2020 ‘Spotlight' Master Gardener volunteers for their extraordinary service:
I'd also like to recognize our dozens of non-profit partners including Inland Empire Resource Conservation District and the County of San Bernardino.
And, last but far from least, I'm forever thankful to UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardener Coordinator Maggie O'Neill whose passion, heart, and expertise keeps the program thriving!
Happy Holidays to All!
- Author: Janet Hartin
What do more than a dozen community and school garden organizers, members and directors of 15 non-profit boards, several K-12 teachers, a department chair from Loma Linda University a, retired USDA senior marketing manager, a sociologist, an anthropologist, a handful of IT and human resource managers, a structural engineer with a second career as a public health educator and 40 other San Bernardino County residents have in common? They all have a desire to give back to their communities and were recently accepted into our UC Cooperative Extension San Bernardino County Master Gardener program.
The Master Gardener 'class of 2021' hails from all parts of the county including Yucca Valley, Victorville, 29 Palms, Running Springs, San Bernardino, Redlands, Chino, Montclair, Chino Hills, Running Springs, Pinion Pines, Colton, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, and Ontario. They will be brought together for the first time ever in the history of the program entirely via Zoom! In exchange for the horticulture knowledge they receive during the 18-week training class, each has agreed to volunteer 50 or more hours helping county residents landscape more sustainably and grow fruits and vegetables in home, community, and school gardens.
Please help Master Gardener Coordinator Maggie O'Neill, our 150+ current Master Gardeners, and me welcome these new students into our program. I am excited to get to know them and inspired already by their passion and giving spirit. Besides helping residents landscape more sustainably, this year the Master Gardener program will focus heavily on helping county residents develop home, school, and community gardens. This closely aligns with the increased interest county residents have in growing food and adopting healthier lifestyles. Master Gardeners are in the process of developing vegetable planting guides for our three main climate zones (valley, high desert and mountains), ‘how to' videos on planting, growing, and harvesting cool and warm season vegetables, and conducting workshops (via zoom for the time being) to help current and new home, community and school gardeners become even more successful. And, of course, Master Gardeners will continue to staff our email and telephone helplines and hope to resume staffing their Farmers' Markets booths as soon as it is safe to do so!
I'm looking forward to another great year!
