verdancedesign

I was literally watching the misting from a comercial sprinkler system Friday and thinking, "I should write about this." I'm so glad you wrote it first! I do think you might've oversimplified the fix; it's slightly more involved than slapping in a regulator. In the past I've recommended irrigation auditors or landscape contractors who have earned irrigation tech certification. But it's great to see how something like the MP Rotator can make such a difference in a high-pressure system — thanks for the education!

So simple! So informative! I think I must be the tool, for not using a soil probe in my own garden (much less recommending it to my clientele). Where, kind sir, might one procure such a wondrous thing?

Billy, that same vein swells on my forehead when I see the little gutter streams. Inspired/outraged by the midday irrigation of Algerian ivy and eucalyptus on a freeway embankment, I've created a Facebook page (http://is.gd/1OkXX) where ordinary citizens can vent their water rage by posting pics of the crimes and hopefully shaming the perps into handling their — our — water a little better. Thanks for the great tips & alternatives.

I think part of the reason so many people reach garden design as a second or third career is that it is both science as art — as many of my colleagues "used to be" accountants or programmers as marcommers or artists. Plus, it's such a wide-ranging field that you can fill almost any niche you can imagine. Granted, we may not draw quite the salaries or have quite the benefits of our corporate counterparts… but getting to write your own script? Priceless.

Unfortunately I've got the N1a1T mutation: I tend to adopt orphans one at a time, then try to make 'em work within the existing garden. But your system works just as well when I look at ordering principles I've (unwittingly) got in place already. Thanks for making it easier to live with my condition!

Billy, thank you so much for writing such an important piece. It's all too easy to be complacent — even here in the flammable West — and think that because we're "in town" or "close to the water" or "have a small lot" we're somehow immune from fire. I'm sharing your article with every garden owner I know.
-John

Billy, what a treat to have your cool green voice here. Whenever you're under siege from the LOL and need reinforcements from the northern flank, just give me a call. Congrats on a great start to a great gig.

John