HOW TO make landscapes more livable, resource efficient

Property owners in western Nevada have endured several years of drought followed by summer flash flooding in some areas and heavy rainstorms this winter. Now that home landscapes are greening up, it is a good time to consider whether some renovation would be in order.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, in partnership with GreenACTnv, will offer two free presentations on how to renovate home landscapes to make them more livable and resource efficient. The first workshop is 6 p.m. on May 3, and the second is 6 p.m. on June 14. Both will be presented at the Douglas County Cooperative Extension office, 1325 Waterloo Lane in Minden. Presenters include Cooperative Extension Horticulture Specialist Heidi Kratsch, Extension Water Resource Specialist John Cobourn and Geologist Matt McMackin.

“These classes will help homeowners consider landscape features that provide benefits like increased comfort and decreased costs,” said Cobourn. “For example, placing deciduous shade trees on the west side of a home can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 30 percent. But such a change requires redesign of the irrigation system.”

The May 3 workshop will address topics such as the following:

What changes homeowners might want to make to their landscapes

Planting trees to cool a yard and home in summer

Reducing the need for maintenance and use of irrigation water

How to design landscapes to incorporate certain goals, such as providing for defensible space for wildfires, growing a vegetable garden, or creating a habitat for birds and pollinators

Making a landscape more resilient to weather extremes, such as droughts and floods

What to do with areas in a landscape that are generally uninviting or attract weeds

The June 14 workshop will discuss designing and installing drainage management features for occasional heavy rainstorms to allow runoff to soak into the soil where it will replenish the groundwater supply.

For information, contact Douglas County Extension Educator Steve Lewis at lewiss@unce.unr.edu or 775-782-9960. Persons in need of special accommodations or assistance should call at least three days prior to the workshop.