Landscaping at Bishop Ranch

We just celebrated our one-year anniversary at Bishop Ranch with champagne and chocolate. Recall a year ago our office moved from Dublin to San Ramon, after 15 years in the same location (see Roaming in San Ramon). We were all a little nervous about the open floor plan and new routines. Fast forward a year, and we're all settled in and enjoying the new location and its many amenities.

One of the lakes at Bishop Ranch

I especially appreciate the fantastic landscaping of the Bishop Ranch property, and the incredible landscape management. We are situated in the original Bishop Ranch complex, so I am most familiar with its campus. The scale of the landscaping is vast, with lots of room to roam.

Small marina on the second lake

Main features include two lakes, a small marina, walking paths and exercise stations, lots of parking, and landscaping on a grand scale. The trees and plants are Mediterranean and native, and the whole complex is watered with gray water. The lakes provide habitat for birds and fish and are designed to be sustainable systems. The public is invited to walk around the property from dawn to dusk (easily accessible by the Marriott near Target), and the Roundhouse is open for lunch.

Roundhouse viewed from one of the trails

I’m hoping to learn more about how the landscaping company catalogs, tracks, and maintains such a large property (might get some ideas for managing the home garden on a smaller scale). In the meantime, I love my brisk afternoon walks, and the chance to observe the plants and property go through the seasons in our San Francisco Bay Area climate.

Heron at lakeside	Mount Diablo
Leaf Patrol	Tree Inventory

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Roaming in San Ramon

In January, I mentioned that my work office was moving to Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, after many years in Dublin, California (see Looking Ahead to 2017). The company had been in the Dublin office for 15 years, and during that time the business and community grew together. We were situated close to Camp Parks Training ground and some undeveloped land, as well as residential and shopping areas. Many of us enjoyed daily walks in the area, and always found something new to see. I reported on street trees, turkeys, working goats, and many other topics during my time there.

Roaming in San Ramon

Fast forward a couple of months to find us moved and settled into our new location in San Ramon. The facility is beautiful – everything is new, and fresh, and designed with the modern work force in mind. The conference rooms are named after regional and national parks (I sit close to Joshua Tree and Glacier Bay). The Mount Diablo conference room has a spectacular view of its name sake. The grounds are also beautiful – built on a grand scale, landscaped with the environment in mind, and irrigated with potable water as Dublin was (see Gray Water in Dublin). Flowering trees line the paths, so spring should be spectacular.

Even with the winter rains, many of us are out enjoying our daily walks and exploring our new digs. Shopping, a library, and the San Ramon pool are nearby. Walking paths, workout stations, and proximity to a lake bring nature to our working lives. I’m looking forward to exploring the Iron Horse Regional Trail next, with access a block away. The trail is built on an old Southern Pacific Railroad bed that runs from Pleasanton to Concord. Change can be stressful, but it can also be rejuvenating, and often results in new possibilities and opportunities!

Living with Drought: Wrap Up

Living with the reality of prolonged drought in the Western United States, and the Bay Area, forces us to rethink our water-thirsty gardens and adopt new practices.

Dry field in the Central Valley

Getting Started 

Kick off the grand project of living with drought here in Northern California, and the greater Western United States

Living with Drought
Badge of Honor
Ahead of Their Time

Coping with Drought 

Learn about plants that thrive in low-water gardens, look for alternatives to the ubiquitous green lawn, and consider the merits of using gray water in the landscape.

Botanical Collections of the Bay Area
Replacing Lawns
Ground Covers
Grasses
Vines
Gray Water in Dublin
Dry Gardens in the Bay Area

Interesting Ideas

Some big ideas to help our gardens thrive in continual drought.

Where to Shop: California Natives
Dry Farming
Shopping for Water

Books, Mags, and Movies

Books, magazine articles, and movies with a drought theme.

National Geographic: When the Snow Fails
California Native Landscape
Chinatown (Jan 2016)
Young Ones (Jan 2016)
Dune (Jan 2016)

Badge of Honor

After four years of drought, a green lawn is now suspect. It probably means you are using a lot of water. This is troubling to the rest of us with yards that now look like dead, spare lots. This does not seem fair, whether you can afford to pay for the water or not. It is not about the money, it is about the inequitable use of a scarce commodity.

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But, if you're using an alternative water source, like reclaimed, recycled, or collected water, this is a great time to proclaim it. These signs are like a badge of honor  for finding alternative way to keep the landscape green. Indirectly, this encourages the rest of us to get creative about maintaining our landscapes.

Gray Water in Dublin

A sign outside Home Depot in Dublin, CA grabbed my attention: Recycled Water Delivery. The Drought Savers website describes their services. They transport recycled water to your location in their tanker trucks, and offer a full line of storage tanks and pumps for managing the water. Their primary service area is Livermore, Pleasanton, and Brentwood. Pricing depends on water needs and location. This is a great idea – something for homeowners to help mitigate the drought.

Delivery service for gray water

I work in Dublin, and admire the city’s use of gray water for public landscapes (their beautiful street trees are irrigated with recycled water). The gray water infrastructure is managed by the San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Program, a partnership of two water districts. But currently, California regulations prevent single-family homes from tapping into the gray water infrastructure.

The Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) offers an alternative for residents in Dublin, San Ramon, and Pleasanton – free recycled water available for pick up at one of their fill stations. You bring your own containers, and get instructions on how to transport and manage the recycled water. One of the fill stations is in Dublin, near the Civic Center. Water is heavy, so you need the right rig and containment to manage the water.

Trucks line up to pick up gray water in Dublin

 

This is the kind of innovation we need to help solve our water shortage! Gray water is being cleansed and recycled for landscape use. An infrastructure is being built to deliver recycled water to large scale landscapes. Creative solutions are available for getting recycled water to small landscapes. A few hurdles need to be worked out. Could a less affluent area afford a gray water infrastructure? When will California codes support gray water for single family homes? But the program in the Tri-Valley area is a good start, and a good test case for learning.