Drought-tolerant garden helps nonprofit pick up pace of water savings

The Cupertino Courier - 7/3/2021

Jul. 3—Cupertino residents did their part June 26 to make the local landscape more drought-tolerant.

Volunteers from the Rotary Club of Cupertino, Scout Troop 492 and Foothill College's horticultural program helped plant a drought-tolerant garden in the front yard and parking strip at a Kirwin Lane residence run by Pacific Autism Center for Education, or PACE. The nonprofit currently houses 36 children and adults in its residential program, which includes the Cupertino property.

The new garden was designed by Water Efficient Gardens founder and Cupertino resident Shelkie Tao with all California native plants, and a rain garden integrated to capture runoff for watering purposes.

"The new landscape is a complete transformation," Tao said after the planting was done. "When the plants grow up, it will look even more appealing."

Tao developed the design pro bono and got a grant from Rotary for plants and materials.

"It was a big undertaking," she said. "The project required digging holes for dozens of plants, a rain garden and a channel. Part of the surface was so hard it needed an electronic digger to finish the task.

"Irrigation was nonexistent in the parking strip," Tao added. "The team needed to figure out a solution to pipe water out to it. After the planting was done, drip irrigation needed to be put in for every plant, pebbles to be added in the rain garden and channel, and 4 inches of mulch to be applied to the whole area."

There are more benefits to the garden than just saving water, Tao said.

"The garden will provide a beautiful landscape for the residents and kids who live at the house, and provide sensory stimulation, which is critical for autism treatment," she said. "The native plants will provide crucial food and shelter to pollinators like monarch butterflies, bees and birds."

Tao planted a similar garden last year at West Valley Community Services in Cupertino. She said drought-tolerant landscaping is even more critical now that San Jose Water has asked that commercial and residential clients reduce their water usage by 15% from 2019 levels.

"We are facing another very bad drought this year," Tao added. "We hope the Kirwin garden can set an example and inspire more people to adopt low-water landscaping. This is not just necessary for the drought but also critical for fighting climate change."

For more information, visit Water Efficient Gardens at https://waterefficientgardens.com.

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