The Coastal Gardener:

Do you need to learn how to conserve water in your garden? Wondering about how long, how much and when to water your landscape? Do you want to be a leader in the neighborhood, but not sure where to start?

I’m afraid that you’re not alone — gardens are often a place where water is misunderstood and misused.

Is your water bill getting bigger and bigger; beginning to rival your electricity, gas or telephone bills and still rising?

If these and other water issues are important to you, then you should attend a free homeowner workshop on water conservation Thursday evening at the Newport Beach Central Library.

For the second year I have been invited to help teach the participants at this two-hour class how to not only conserve water, but also garden in a “greener” and more sustainable way.

The myth of a water-conserving garden being a barren, dusty, desolate, thorny or rocky wasteland is regrettable, and we will attempt to dispel these notions.

I believe a garden should be very, very alive — not at all dead or sterile. Instead a garden should be buzzing and bustling, not with the activity of professional gardeners, gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers, but with the more appropriate activities of insects, birds, butterflies and the natural world.

Seasons should display themselves in all their qualities in a garden. The garden should keep the homeowner always watching and involved — perhaps in awe of what is before them at that moment, but also in anticipation of what is to come, and in reflection about what has passed.

A great garden will draw you into it, both visually and emotionally and will bring you back for more, over and over again. It is not a painting, it is an organism. It will occupy all your senses, including touch, smell, sound and even taste.

All of this is achievable in any of our gardens. More importantly, this kind of garden can be had without excessive amounts of water, runoff, pollution or chemicals.

This Thursday, during my portion of the evening, participants will learn 20 specific techniques and suggestions to conserve water and other resources in their gardens, usually with less effort, time and money than they are currently investing.

Over time, my experience is that when a garden is well acclimated to its locale and following at least a few simple, sustainable maintenance techniques, it will be far less costly than most other gardens.