Developing Water-Wise Landscape Design Education
Horticulture & Turfgrass
Rowe Zwahlen
Extension Assistant Professor
Utah State University Extension
Castle Dale
Abstract
Water is an essential resource for human life and communities. Ongoing drought, population growth, and dire future climate predictions have made the need for water conservation more pressing. A landscape design process provides an opportunity for participants to strategically assess the location, value, and water use of landscape elements before they are installed. However, without guidance, many homeowners default to the traditional and often water-squandering landscape forms they see around them. Extension has excellent resources explaining individual components of water-efficient landscapes, but education guiding homeowners as they create a cohesive plan for implementing water-conserving practices is an unfilled programming area.
Our objective was to provide the guidance homeowners needed to create their own water-wise landscape whether this meant adapting an existing landscape or designing something new. We first developed a curriculum focused on water-wise landscape principles. Then, in early spring we presented a course using a combination of online and in-person instruction.
The initial online course and workbook provided students with a foundational understanding of water-wise landscape design principles and required student action through a series of assignments. These assignments directed participants through the steps to analyze and understand their own sites and helped them to develop a vision and list of goals for their landscapes. This effort culminated in a two-day in-person workshop where participants worked with Extension faculty to create a design concept and use water-wise design principles such as—efficient irrigation, proper plant selection, soil amendments, grading, and on-site water harvesting, to develop a functional schematic plan for their own property.
Participants reacted favorably to the course. Pre and post surveys showed an increase in knowledge of the importance of water conservation and strategies for conserving water in their own landscapes. Participants also reported strong intentions to utilize the information they learned to create their own water-wise landscapes.
Authors: Rowe Zwahlen, Jake Powell
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Rowe Zwahlen Extension Assistant Professor, Utah State University Extension, Utah, 84513
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Jake Powell Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Specialist, Utah State University Extension, Utah, 84322