'Summer Strong Yard’ winner featured on local billboards in new awareness campaign
Janelle Auyeung, a master gardener who lives in Sacramento's Arden Park, created this water-wise garden over several years. Courtesy Janelle Auyeung
These billboards are hard to miss – and that’s the point.
Now starring on billboards throughout the Sacramento region, local residents with a knack for gardening while saving water are being saluted for their outstanding “Summer Strong Yards.” They’re the winners of a recent contest held by the Regional Water Authority and local water providers.
“Summer Strong Yards incorporate water-wise practices and efficient irrigation, making them tough enough to thrive during the Sacramento region’s hottest days while still looking great,” say the organizers. “Our honorees transformed their landscapes by ditching water-intensive lawns for vibrant, low-water native plants and smart drip irrigation systems. From Auburn to Elk Grove, their projects vary from DIY efforts to professionally designed masterpieces.”
Find all the winners here: https://bewatersmart.info/summer-strong-yard-winners/.
Among the winners was Sacramento’s Janelle Auyeung, whose garden truly is inspirational.
Waste not, want not; that philosophy underlines her creative approach to gardening. The result is a suburban oasis full of life – and food – to nourish the body as well as the soul.
“Over the past two decades, my garden has transformed from a typical lawn into a thriving ecosystem, driven by a vision of sustainability and resilience,” says Auyeung, who lives in Arden Park. “That’s what I’m passionate about – more sustainable living.”
Originally, her yard was a “plain old lawn,” devoid of biodiversity, she says. Little by little, she transformed it into her food- and flower-filled “Summer Strong Yard.”
Auyeung grew up in China, where her family produced much of its own food. “I learned to use resources sparingly,” she recalls.
Auyeung works as a scientist at the California Air Resources Board on climate issues, and has been in the environmental protection field for more than two decades, working on various initiatives. She has made sustainability her life focus and takes that same approach to her Sacramento landscape, which she has been working on for more than 20 years.
Kitchen waste becomes compost to feed her 30 fruit trees, abundant vegetable garden and thriving native plants. Homemade mulch retains moisture and keeps roots comfortable. She also “harvests” rainwater from a capture system attached to her home’s roof gutters and downspouts.
“When it rains, I can capture 3,000 gallons off the roof,” she says. “I use rainwater to brew compost tea. I put the compost tea into the drip irrigation system and it goes directly into the garden.”
Auyeung is both a Sacramento County master gardener and master food preserver. “I grow so much stuff, I had to learn how to preserve it,” she says.
With only a .3-acre lot, the yield from her bountiful garden is phenomenal. “Last year, I harvested more than 100 pounds of tomatoes,” she says. “I picked 200 pounds of persimmons. I have five kinds of citrus plus loquats, apricots, pomegranates; so much fruit.”
All while saving time and water, she says. “Once established, fruit trees don’t need too much work and there’s plenty to share with neighbors and co-workers.”
Besides edible plants, Auyeung concentrated on adding California natives as well as drought- and heat-tolerant flowering plants to attract pollinators.
“My garden is alive with so many beneficial insects,” she says. “Birds visit more often and stay longer. There’s so much biodiversity.
“Sustainability has become a way of life,” she adds. “My garden stands as a testament to what can be achieved with dedication, knowledge, and respect for the natural world.”
For more water-saving ideas and links to rebates, go to: https://bewatersmart.info/.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of March 30
Your garden doesn’t mind April showers. Get busy now to enjoy those future flowers.
* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, start setting out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash. (Soak beet seeds overnight in water for better germination,)
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.