Carpinteria resident wins WaterWise garden contest
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – A Carpinteria woman won the Waterwise garden competition for 2024, recognized for her water-efficient garden through Santa Barbara County.
Below is a press release with more details:
The 2024 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest launched this spring to recognize beautiful, water-efficient residential gardens throughout the County. The Santa Barbara County Water Agency and participating local water providers encouraged residents to apply for the contest and enter into the running for regional and county-wide awards. Winners from the participating water provider’s service areas received an engraved sandstone sign to display in their gardens. This year’s participating water providers were the Montecito Water District, Carpinteria Valley Water District, Santa Ynez River Water Conservation Improvement District #1, Vandenberg Village Community Services District, and the Cities of Santa Barbara and Buellton.
The County grand prize winner was Natasha Lohmus who championed her beautiful native garden in the Carpinteria Valley Water District.
Five years ago, Natasha embarked on a mission to turn her front yard into a buzzing oasis for bees, butterflies, and birds. Today, her garden is a vibrant masterpiece of colors and textures, a haven for wildlife, and a budget-friendly water-wise wonderland. The process took a lot of love and plenty of sweat - from bidding farewell to the old lawn of Bermuda grass to welcoming a native mow-free grass and a friendly cohort of native plants. Natasha, the mastermind behind it all, rolled up her sleeves and tackled everything from design to planting with just a little help for heavy lifting. She continues to do the pruning, weeding, and watering, as well as the maintenance in the garden to this day. Water-wise and lush, her garden relies mostly on handwatering with infrequent sprinklers. A clever rainwater collection system that includes a dry creek bed and redirection of water from the gutters and pathways was thrown in for good measure to supplement the watering. Collecting rocks for the dry creek bed was one of her favorite parts of the process, next to designing the garden itself. Still not enough for her ambitious garden vision, she is also a proud owner of a mini aquaponics system. Blending nature and DIY magic, the system provides a home for goldfish and koi, where their waste creates nutrient-rich water that becomes plant food. Her verdant oasis snagged the County-wide grand prize stands as a testament to her creativity, perseverance, and green thumb prowess.
Other finalists for each participating water agency’s service area were Dale Zurawski of Montecito, Barbara Bartolome of the City of Santa Barbara, and Len Fleckenstein of the City of Buellton. The winning gardens all encompassed stunning displays of water-wise and high- efficiency irrigation. Photos of each awarded garden can be seen at https://www.waterwisesb.org/4333/_2024.
Each one of these home gardens demonstrates that water-wise, sustainable landscapes can be lush, colorful, low maintenance, and provide habitats for wildlife. Many winners replaced their original lawns and now enjoy the added benefit of a lower water bill.
Despite receiving above-average rainfall this year, using water efficiently – rain or shine – is important to make Conservation a Way of Life in California. This annual contest is vital in recognizing residents who are doing their part to make water conservation a way of life in Santa Barbara County.
Visit www.WaterWiseSB.org to learn more about this year’s contest winners and for information on water-wise, low-maintenance gardening, rainwater harvesting, and more.
Santa Barbara County
Your News Channel caught up with Lohmus on the achievement.
