COUNTY News:
The Sustainable Landscape Design workshop series is halfway through, with only three sessions remaining. The series is being provided by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU), Los Alamos Cooperative Extension Service and Los Alamos Master Gardeners.
Remaining sessions are 6 p.m. at the White Rock Branch Library on these Thursdays:
- Oct. 26;
- Nov. 2; and
- Nov. 9.
Anyone can join the sessions in person or live online using the Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84440717364.
Transitioning your landscape into meeting your needs while accommodating the resources and support from our local environment isn’t easy for everyone. This workshop series is designed to present a basic overview of information around six key steps in getting your outdoor space where you want it, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional.
All sessions are being recorded and can be viewed online at www.ladpu.com/sustainable-landscaping. Presentations and resources are posted at the same link.
Session 1: Transitioning Your Outdoor Spaces
- This first workshop provided an overview of the Sustainable Landscape Design series and discussed water conservation and landscape types.
Session 2: Site Assessment and Analysis
- This session guided participants in what to look at on their property, how to evaluate which features to keep, and how to determine what changes on the property might be appropriate.
Session 3: Landscape Design Basics
- This workshop provided an outline for transforming your outdoor spaces by considering plant characteristics, your budget, workload and prioritization of the transition, and whether to do the work yourself or hire professionals.
Session 4: Soil Preparation
- This session covered how to regenerate the soil for a successful and thriving landscape by addressing soil amendments, compaction, and the different weed barriers.
Session 5: Plant Selection
- Oct. 26, 6 p.m. at the White Rock Branch Library
- The fun part of landscaping for most people is going to the plant store and picking out what you want to look at every day. This session will use what we learned in previous sessions about microclimates to make sure that favorite plant thrives after its transition from store to ground.
Session 6: Irrigation
- Nov. 2, 6 p.m. at the White Rock Branch Library
- Los Alamos County is in the semi-arid high desert of northern New Mexico. Your plants are going to require some level of watering and irrigation comes in many forms and at varying levels of expense. We will discuss an overview of the installation, maintenance, and expectations of different irrigation systems, from hand watering to utilizing swales to fully automated line systems.
Session 7: Maintenance
- Nov. 9, 6 p.m. at the White Rock Branch Library
- Maintenance, the oft-neglected part of landscaping, is important for a healthy and sustainable landscape. This session will touch on growing expectations, seasonal care, and addressing plant problems and pests, as well as learning from mistakes made in caring for and giving up on certain plants and landscape dreams.
