Paradise >> A few years ago Bob Prevot and his wife Connie welcomed visitors to their home for the Paradise Garden Tour.
But the drought has meant changes to the Prevot’s back yard, and changes to the garden tour.
Rather than lawn and the showiest of flowers, the trek this year brings visitors to some delightfully dry places.
The annual event, planned for June 6 and 7 this year, highlights some of the most showy — yet drought-tolerant — yards on the ridge. While out and about, people can shop at the plant sale, chat with garden experts and gather garden inspiration. For tickets and information: paradisegardenclub.org/tour.html
Before the drought, the Prevots had four sections of lawn, totalling about 3,500 square-feet. Looking back he thinks he watered for about an hour a day.
Not last fall but the year before that, the couple cut their water use by 60-70 percent when they saw the weather had “gotten ridiculous.”
About a year ago, he turned the sprinklers and drip irrigation off.
“We found out what is drought-tolerant in our area,” Prevot said. He planted more of the plants that survived.
Some steady survivors included Shasta daisies, baby’s breath, lavender, lantana, manzanita, geranium, butterfly bush, roses and salvia.
The lawn had turned brown and Prevot took the rototiller to the once plush green space.
Prevot has also planted many succulents since conversion to a drought yard. Also absent are annuals, which are water intensive and only live for a year.
Some of the plants that bit the dust were all of the rhododendrons and azaleas, Prevot said.
He misses his lawns, as do his grandchildren.
However, “I cannot justify using a lot of water to water a lawn. Lawns don’t give anything back,” he said.
Right now, he has eight cubic-yards of walk-on bark, so the yard does not look bare. Many bulbs have been planted on the perimeter of these areas.
He still keeps a vegetable garden, watering those plants by hand.
Its only been a few years since the grand transformation, and the Prevots are ready to showcase their garden to the whole town.
“Its a learning process,” Prevot said. “You learn what survives and what doesn’t. Even if we are out of a drought this year, it will happen again. It’s nice to know what will survive.”
Even before the drought, the yard was on a drip irrigation system. This is nice because you can adjust the emitters to deliver 1/2 a gallon an hour or three gallons an hour, depending on what you have planted.
Prevot said he has spent a lot of time this past year adjusting the flow.
In a normal year he would not have spent as much effort. But this year all water is precious.
Customers of Paradise Irrigation District can sign up for AquaHawk, a system that give real-time water reports. In the old days their yard used a lot of water, now the couple is down to 150 gallons a day.
Garden tour coming soon
Tickets for the tour are $15 and includes stops at six homes. Money raised is used for ridge beautification projects and scholarships for Butte College horticulture students. The last stop on the garden tour is the Prevot’s home, where a raffle will be held and refreshments will be served.
Prevot said the plant sale during the annual garden show is a big hit by attendees. Many of the plants are propagated by garden club members, and are reasonably priced. One plant featured will be the cymbidium orchid.
You can also buy tickets in Paradise at Heavenscent Candles, Mendon’s Nursery and Paradise Garden Center. In Chico, buy tickets at Floral Native Nursery and Magnolia Gift and Garden. In Magalia, Jaki’s Hilltop Cafe, and in Oroville at Mary Lake Thompson.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
