July 12, 2007

VIEWPOINTS
Finding a way to beat the heat

It’s hot! It has been very hot for several days! Even worse, it looks like it is going to stay hot most of the time for the next four months.

That is a big problem at our house.

Although I grew up in California, I didn’t really know about “hot” until we moved to Fullerton.

I had driven through California’s desert and high desert and felt the hot summers. I knew we had less rainfall than most other states.

But I had always lived within 10 or 15 miles of the ocean. Heat was rarely a factor.

The sea breeze that blows in for those 10 or 15 miles is usually cool, and sometimes downright cold.

Fog in the mornings and at night is a cooling presence.

The smell of the ocean deceives the brain and body to convince us that the temperature really is moderate, even on the rare days when it isn’t.

Fullerton was a big surprise.

The sea breeze doesn’t often make it to Fullerton, and it can get very hot here.

Our answer to that was grass, lots of grass and trees.

Freshly watered grass is cool under foot, and the shade of the trees has an effect similar to that of the smell of the ocean.

It promises cool comfort and shields the eyes from the glare of the sun.

Flowering vines cover the part of the fence that is concrete block.

The “more green, the better” was our motto.

We have tried to be good citizens with water.

We set the timers to water just long enough to give the growing things a good drink, but not long enough to puddle or run down the street.

Mostly we are successful, even though the number of living things we are supporting has increased substantially over time, and the garden has acquired a number of microclimates with different needs.

We keep the house closed in the heat of the day, and except for extended periods of high heat, we are comfortable.

Central air always seemed an extravagance and, possibly, a questionable environmental choice.

The heater wasn’t ready for replacement; it still works well, 46 years later.

The garden made it all work for us. Until this year!

With less than four inches of rainfall, everything is thirsty.

The roses and fruit trees are trying hard to make do with only the water from irrigation, but they clearly miss the deep drinks from rainfall.

The grass looks lush after it is watered, but seems to shrink a little as the temperature rises.

The vegetable garden needed only a day or two of high heat to give up on lettuce and begin to show yellow and brown leaves on the tomato plants. If it is struggling now, what will the next few months bring?

As if this wasn’t bad enough, our water bills are sending a message.

Last month’s bill was more than $350.

That includes the recent sewer fee, but even without that, the bill shows a sizeable increase over past years.

Despite our conservation efforts, this year we are using almost 30 percent more water.
(Of course, we had 60 percent less rain. That makes it sound less ominous, doesn’t it?)
The most recent garden tours offered by Fullerton Beautiful have included gardens dominated by drought tolerant natives.

They were beautiful and demanded a much lower level of maintenance than our garden.
The native grasses blew in the breeze, and with the addition of some kind of water feature, they were serene and lovely during our April visits.

At the end of each tour, I arrived home wondering how I could be more environmentally conscious.

What could I give up in the name of conservation?

That question drove me to last month’s class on composting at the Fullerton Arboretum.

I find myself muttering “reduce, reuse, and recycle” as I contemplate the large black bin we purchased with the city’s assistance at the hardware store.

I can deal with grass clippings (recycle), raking leaves, and maybe even worms in the interest of conservation and preservation.

But I am not at all sure I am prepared to give up grass. (I think that was the idea of the fourth r, refuse.)

We have less grass than we used to have (reduce), and it a hardy strain that is tolerant of heat.

It thrives on less water than the earlier grasses we tried.

It isn’t as soft underfoot, but with a little food it maintains a bright green that is the best we can expect from this semi-arid land. Although native plants look and feel pleasant in April, they look different in July and August. They are not green. It may be that one day we will be happy to live with that landscape. Availability and/or cost of water may make the choice inescapable. But for now, on these hot days, the feel of damp green grass between our toes is hard to beat.

Ginger Britt, a longtime Fullerton resident and teacher, gives her thoughts on things in the city once a month. Reach her at fullertonnewstribune@ocregister.com.

GINGER BRITT
AS I SEE IT