AZUSA, Calif. – Monrovia has announced “Swap It Out,” a new initiative to arm homeowners with smart, sensible, do-it-this-weekend ideas for reducing water use by selectively removing plants that are thirsty, under-performing slackers and replacing them with water-wise overachievers.
“Drive through a residential neighborhood and it’s obvious that the all-or-nothing, 'brown is the new green' message is rampant as drought continues well into its fourth year,” said Kate Karam, Monrovia spokesperson. “Many homeowners are simply immobilized about how to move forward responsibly. 'Swap It Out' is a simple, cost-effective program to encourage homeowners to change their landscape’s water use from a gulp to a sip, one plant at a time. No big investment in re-landscaping overnight. “Our goal is to spur longer term thinking by providing specific plant alternatives for tired, struggling plants that still drink up, but don’t add beauty.”
How "Swap It Out" works
Whether because of lack of knowledge about alternatives, or fear of planting anything in a drought, many homeowners continue to lavish precious water resources on plants that are clearly on their last legs. “Swap It Out” suggests that, by just yanking out the worst offenders and replacing them with spectacular water-wise alternatives, homeowners start to make an impact. When they see how a hedge of water-wise Emerald Wave laurel provides privacy equal to privet, and that a border of daylily, African iris, Russian sage and dwarf maiden grass can look English cottage pretty even with the tap off, they might be motivated to keep going with the transformation.
In addition to the list below, consumers can go to Monrovia’s Facebook page, supply their zip code, and ask for a water-wise swap-out suggestion for their specific slacker plant. While there they can also enter to win a deluxe rain barrel from Gardener’s Supply Company.
“It’s our goal with “Swap It Out” to end the botanical crime scenes of under-performers allowed to party it up while giving homeowners the useful, money-saving, advice they need,” said Karam.
What about El Nino?
Many in California are banking on epic El Nino rains this winter, but experts warn that even an historic weather event is unlikely to reverse the impacts of four years of sustained drought. In other parts of the west, little relief appears to be forthcoming this winter.
“We can no longer afford plants that are takers, not makers,” said Karam. “If a plant isn’t giving a stellar performance, bursting with blooms, luxuriously leafy or succeeding in providing much needed shade or privacy, it’s time to 'Swap It Out.'”
Five ways to spot a plant that needs swapping
- It’s no longer producing blooms
- t’s getting drip irrigation but has already died
- It’s been so poorly pruned that it can’t be coaxed back into shape
- Large sections of the plant are dead
- It fails to thrive even under ideal conditions
The top 40 "Swap It Out" plants
Trees:
Hearts of Gold redbud
Timeless Beauty desert willow
Emerald Wave Sweet Bay
Majestic Beauty Fruitless Olive
Deodar cedar
Shrubs:
Flower Carpet White Groundcover Rose
Arabian Lilac
Dwarf bottlebrush
Golf Ball Kohuhu
Southern Moon Yedda Hawthorn
Icee Blue Juniper
Bonsai Blue Jacaranda
Tiny Tower Italian Cypress
Perennials:
Baby Pete Lily Of The Nile
KATRINA African Iris
Brakelights Red Yucca
Lemon Popsicle Hot Poker
Blonde Ambition Blue Grama Grass
Riverina Thomas French Lavender
Heatwave Sparkle Sage
Groundcovers:
Cousin Itt river wattle
Centennial hybrid wild lilac
Jewel of the Desert Garnet ice plant
Creeping Mahonia
Raspberry Ice Bougainvillea
Ice Chip Summer Lilac
Kitchen:
Corky's Honey Delight Fig
Pineapple guava
Little Ragu Sweet Bay
Angel Red Pomegranate
Roman Beauty Rosemary
Flame seedless grape
Container:
Sunsparkler Dazzleberry Sedum
Lavender Swirl Trailing Lantana
Festival Raspberry Cordyline
Endurascape Purple Verbena
Green Columnar Juniper
Dwarf Fountain Grass
Vines:
Balboa Sunset Trumpet Creeper
White stripe bougainvillea
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