By Alexander D. Bevil

Among the first and relatively simple undertakings a property owner can do to save energy costs is to find and reverse areas of involuntary energy transference, known as Passive Measures.
Did you know that an inspection of a historic building’s landscape may reveal Passive Measures or that the restoration of missing historic landscape features and/or the rehabilitation of a historic setting may improve a historic building’s energy efficiency?
The character of the physical environment in which a building was situated, its historic setting, is its spatial relationship to its surroundings during the building’s period of historic significance. A historic setting normally includes nearby introduced or native landscape features, such as foundation plantings, shrubs, trees, flower and vegetable gardens. The historic setting could also include similar landscape features within a historic district, or open natural open space or semi-natural landscaped parkland.
Usually, landscape rehabilitation or restoration is the last phase of a historic property owner’s preservation plan. However, while usually given short shrift, they are important preservation treatments. Besides increasing energy efficiency by lowering fuel and water use, landscape rehabilitation or restoration helps to beautify the property, which in turn increases its property value. A successful landscape rehabilitation or restoration may stimulate neighboring property owners to improve their landscapes, historic or not, thereby increasing surrounding property values.
The first step in a historic landscape evaluation is an inventory of existing plant material and hardscape features, and their arrangement throughout the property.
Using a generic early 20th century San Diego bungalow as an example, does the surrounding landscape still reflect its original plant pallet and layout? Or is it a mish-mash of overgrown trees and shrubs that successive owners bought on sale at Handyman and planted some thirty years ago? It may be necessary to hire a local historic landscape or garden consultant to assist in identifying historic and non-historic plant material and hardscape features.
A comprehensive landscape rehabilitation/restoration plan should include identifying historic plant materials that perform passive solar energy functions. These might include mature trees and/or shrubs, evergreen as well as deciduous, as well as pergolas, patio covers, lath houses, or other landscape features used for sun shading and wind breaks. Historic photographs and interviews with past owners or neighbors are excellent ways of learning about a property’s historic landscape.
The preservation and rehabilitation of existing trees and shrubs through thinning, pruning, fertilizing, and watering, as well as the introduction of missing landscape material should be included in a historic property’s landscape maintenance plan.
The planting of period-appropriate deciduous trees and shrubs, like liquidambar (American Sweetgum) or pomegranate for example, can be an effective way to cool southern and southwestern exposures during the hot months, while allowing sunlight to warm them during the cooler winter months.
Not only do mature trees and shrubs perform passive energy conservation, they lessen the effects of wind, rain, and ultraviolet rays that could accelerate a historic building’s physical deterioration. 

Now, don’t make the mistake as some local homeowners do of ripping out mature non-California native or non-period-appropriate plant species from their gardens. How long do you think it would take for a newly planted shade tree to reach the height of the 80 to 100 year-old-original? Certainly this will not happen in your lifetime.
Likewise, don’t think you have to convert your gardens into a desert landscape in order to save water. San Diego’s Mediterranean climate can support such drought-tolerant species as acacia, eucalyptus, strawberry tree, fremontia, pine, bottlebrush, manzanita, and rosemary.
By now, some of you are probably wondering, 
What do I do with my small patch
of lawn in front or in the backyard of my 1958-built California Modern Ranch style
house in Clairemont?”
There are several appropriate restoration alternatives that can be done. First, remove the existing lawn, which probably is a mixture of grass and forbs by now, and about 6-8 inches of soil. Be sure to recycle it instead of dumping it into a landfill. Then, apply and roto-till organic fertilizer and amendments, such as blood and bone meal, gypsum and iron chelate, with imported topsoil. Now is the best time to install a water-efficient irrigation system with a programmable electric valve timer system. A renovated lawn bed will facilitate deep watering, at lesser intervals, which, in turn, will facilitate deeper grass roots, and better drought-tolerance.
Several excellent water-thrifty turf species are available from seed, plugs, or sod, including Hybrid Bermuda, Buffalo, Blue Grama, Seashore Paspalum, or Zoyzia grass. However, most are warm-season grasses that brown out during winter. They can also be very aggressive and overrun adjacent garden beds
Fortunately, lawn alternatives, such as a groundcover of low-growing thyme, chamomile, Scotch moss, Japanese spurge, or hierba dulce can be used. Most will tolerate light foot traffic, but the use of natural stepping stones, brick or concrete footpaths can prevent unwanted paths.
Not only do these lawn alternatives require less water, they are less labor intensive to maintain, and often require fewer applications of fertilizers and dangerous chemicals to keep them weed or pest-free. Indeed, a lawn substitute will reduce a building’s carbon footprint by eliminating the need for a gas or electric-powered mower. However, a set of shrub-shears can be used for cutting off spring flowers to reduce swarming bees.
Other water conservation techniques include grouping plants with similar water needs so that plants that require little irrigation aren’t mixed with those that do. Apply several inches of organic or non-organic mulch, such as ground-up tree bark, straw, gravel, river rock, or small pebbles to plantings. Stone mulch should not include non-period-appropriate colored gravel. Consider replacing a rear lawn with period-appropriate landscape improvements: a wooden deck; shade trellis; brick patio, gravel play area; built-in barbecue, etc. Install soaker hoses or a drip-irrigation system. Mulch can be used to hide them from view for more authentic-looking gardens.
The application of Active Measures stated above to preserve, rehabilitate, and restore the historic setting associated with a historic property’s landscape, will result in Passive Measures that will increase a historic property’s energy and water efficiency, while lowering its carbon footprint, all without impacting its historic character. Besides saving money through the reduction of energy and water use, these measures will increase its aesthetic value, and hopefully stimulate like activities in the surrounding neighborhood.

By Karen Contreras

Do you remember that Meryl Streep and Robert Redford movie “Out of Africa”?  And Meryl starts the movie by telling the story of her farm? Then try to use Streep’s accent when you read this next line out loud. “I had a farm in Oregon.”.And when you say “Oregon,” try to pronounce it “Oareegone.” Oregon, that beautiful green state up north, where few of us Southern Californians venture for fear of rusting. We grew many crops on our farm in Oregon but my favorite was garlic. October is the month to plant garlic.
Garlic is a member of the onion family, whose pungent relatives include shallots, leeks and chives. It is native to central Asia, and its use for culinary and medicinal purposes dates back over 6,000 years. The Romans considered garlic a cure all, the Egyptians placed it in the tombs of their kings, and Transylvanians, of course, used it to ward off vampires. Unexplainably, garlic fell out of favor with our Western culture, to the point where dear Julia Child considered garlic “exotic, if not suspiciously foreign, probably subversive, and very certainly, lower-class.” Oh my!
I’m not sure why garlic got such a bad rap. It’s easy to grow, has few insect problems, it will “winter over” and keep wells for use throughout the year. There are three main varieties of garlic, “softneck,” “hardneck” and “elephant.” Elephant garlic, as you may guess, is much larger than other garlics and has a milder taste. Softneck varieties produce 6 to 18 cloves in several layers around a soft central stem. These garlics are great for braiding and have the best storage qualities. Hardneck varieties produce 5 to 10 cloves per bulb and grow in a single layer around a central woody stem. They come in a huge range of flavors and produce flower tops called “scapes” that are edible and delicious in stir fries.
To plant garlic, you will need a bulb of organic “seed” garlic, which you can acquire through several online seed companies, or a local nursery or Farmer’s Market. I prefer to order seed garlic online because there are dozens of garlics to choose from. Names like “Kazakhstan,” “Bavarian Purple,” “Mother of Pearl” or “Fireball” all with descriptions of tastes that rival those of fine wines, are but a few.
Garlic prefers rich, well-drained soil in full sun so choose your site carefully. Break the bulb into individual cloves and plant them in a bed prepared with well rotted compost or manure. Each clove will produce a new bulb. Push the clove, with the pointed tip up, into the soil to a depth of 2 inches. Plant 4 to 6 inches apart and water deeply. Garlic will sprout in about seven days.  When it is about 2” tall, mulch heavily to keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Do not over water garlic, but try to keep the soil evenly moist. Garlic is ready to harvest in the late spring or early summer when the first leaves start to yellow. Lift the bulbs from the ground and let them dry in the shade for a couple of days. Garlic may be used fresh or stored for later.
Additional things to plant this month include beets, carrots, chard, kale, parsnips, peas, fava beans, lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and collards. Don’t forget to amend your soil.
Good gardening to you all.

Karen Contreras is the owner of Urban Plantations. She has been adding a bit of country to the neighborhoods of North Park, South Park and Golden Hill for the past few years. For answers to your gardening questions, you can e-mail Karen at: karen@urbanplantations.com.