*California Friendly landscapes, the latest trend in gardening, is a method that moves us away from water-heavy and chemical-dependent landscapes to a low-impact, environmentally friendly and organic use of our land.

Friday, I am hitting the road in a van crowded with horticultural types to judge the best California Friendly landscapes in Orange County.

We will look at 10 finalist landscapes from 55 entries and reward the winners with money, plants and prizes! Preview the gardens here.

California Friendly landscapes are all about the cycle of saving water, choosing plants suitable for our environment, reducing runoff and pollution, and preserving our water supply. Check out the principles at bewaterwise.com.

Homeowners who have a good understanding of these practices entered the contest in March. But you can test how wise you are when it comes to water. Take our pop quiz to politically correct water wisdom:

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In California, moving water from where it originates (Sierras or Colorado River) to where it is used (Orange County) is the single largest use of energy in the state.

How much of the water we use as homeowners is applied to landscapes?

How much do we stupidly overwater our lawns?

Choose the largest group of water polluters (runoff laden with chemicals) in California:

Where is more of the Earth’s fresh water found?

What percent of the Earth’s water is drinkable?

Click here for the correct answers:

*BTW, California Friendly is a registered trademark.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 7:43 am and is filed under Diggin' the dirt, Garden, Going green. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.