Posts Tagged: Jim Downer

Master Gardeners build low-water demo garden

Over the past year, volunteers in the University of California Cooperative Extension Ventura County Master Gardeners program have transformed space next to the Goebel Senior Adult Center in Thousand Oaks into a living showcase of native, drought-tolerant plants and sustainable garden concepts, said an article in the Ventura County Star.

The "California True Colors Garden and Learning Center" contains a collection of 200  desert plants such as the Palo Verde tree, desert grasses and the violet-flowered foothill penstemon growing along meandering paths and dry pond bed.

"These are tough plants. We don't feed them, we hardly water them, but look how  beautiful they are," said Master Gardener Fayde Macune. "They do well with very little care."

Jim Downer, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Ventura County, said the garden also has a research component. Forty plants are "Arboretum All-Stars" — specimens provided by UC Davis that are proven to be low maintenance, drought-tolerant and attractive to beneficial wildlife such as pollinating insects. Others will be trial plants.

More information and directions to the garden.

 

The dry pond (right) at the California True Colors Garden and Learning Center.

Research-based irrigation saves water

The Hansen Research and Extension Center hosted a water workshop this week, touching on a topic that is one of the University of California's top priorities, according to an article in the Ventura County Star.

“We want to make sure the community knows about what Hansen is doing and share some of the research sponsored by Hansen," the story quoted Jose de Soto, the center director.

Sixty to 90 percent of residential water is used outside the home, but typically gardeners irrigate based on estimates of plant water needs, Ventura County farm advisor Jim Downer said.

“They are not research-based,” Downer was quoted in the article. “They are based on what people think will happen.”

Downer said he has established plants in four different climates of California, watering them at varying rates to measure the needed usage.

“We’re not growing crops or looking for yield. If it looks good, there’s no need to water,” Downer said.

 

Proper irrigation saves water.

Read more