UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden » Pilot Projects

Taking out turf and trading up: landscaping the La Rue Road median

Katie Hetrick — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:48:31 +0000

(Note: This content also appeared in the Davis Enterprise on March 6, 2013.) The change was gradual—the grass once blanketing La Rue Road median between Russell Boulevard and Garrod Drive faded then disappeared completely in the winter of 2011 leaving a large strip of bare earth exposed along the high-profile UC Davis campus beltway. The change left many wondering, “What is going on there?” Like many community residents forced to question the feasibility of managing their landscapes, UC Davis budget cuts required campus leadership to get creative and transform high-water, high-maintenance lawns to attractive, low-water, easy-care landscapes to reduce operations and maintenance costs. “For such a bland-looking landscape, the hours and resources spent caring for the median just didn’t make sense,” Bob Segar, assistant vice chancellor of campus planning and community resources. “Regular maintenance like mowing required our teams to re-route traffic a couple times a month, not to mention the amount of water required to keep the grass green and fuel to run the equipment.” UC Davis will be taking on more of these types of landscape conversions as the result of a reorganization merging the campus’s professional outdoor design, care and operations staff from the Arboretum, Grounds and Landscape Services, Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture, Civil and Industrial Services and the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and Campus Naturalized Land into the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden. “Taking out turf and designing a landscape to take its place is not as easy as it may sound,” Cary Avery, associate director of grounds and landscape Services. “Just getting rid of the Bermuda grass took about a year—it’s tricky. Bermuda’s extensive root system and winter dormant period meant we had to give the grass at least two growing seasons followed quickly by herbicide application and removal. We didn’t want to risk it coming back to roost in our new landscape.” Yesterday, after almost a year and a half of planning and preparation, we can now begin to appreciate the final transformation. Teams from the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden planted the first third (from Hutchison Drive to Garrod Drive), of the almost 50,000 square foot area with plants evaluated by staff horticulturists and landscape architects to be regionally-appropriate for this space as well as suitable for our unique valley conditions. Landscaping for the rest of the median is scheduled for completion in early fall. Andrew Fulks, director of the putah creek riparian reserve and campus naturalized lands, emphasized the water savings. “The shift from overhead pop-up spray irrigation to a sub-surface drip irrigation system will reduce our water use substantially. Once we have run the system for a few months in the summer we’ll know the exact amount of savings, which we can use to project future campus-wide efforts at water reduction.” Ellen Zagory, director of horticulture for the arboretum selected the plant palette, “These plants demand little of our time yet offer a big return in form, color, flower and durability. They’ll stand up and sparkle even with little irrigation in hot summer sun.” “Our goal is that this project will serve as a best practice case study of lawn removal for institutional landscapes everywhere,” Kathleen Socolofsky, director and assistant vice chancellor for the arboretum and public garden. “We are documenting our process and will report back on our resource savings from less labor, fuel, emissions and water use, as the landscape matures.” For home gardeners interested in transforming their lawns into more sustainable landscapes, UC Davis Arboretum plant sales are a great resource. The sales feature a broad variety of low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants and are staffed by expert volunteers and staff horticulturists who can help advise customers on landscaping projects. The Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum Member Appreciation Sale will be this Saturday, March 9 from 9 am-1pm at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive across from the veterinary medicine teaching hospital. “This sale is for Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum members, but anyone can join at the door. Members receive 10% off their plant sale purchases at all sales, an additional $10 off their purchase at the March 9 sale, free or discounted entry to hundreds of public gardens nationwide as well as discounts at local nurseries. The benefits far outweigh the cost,” Suzanne Ullensvang, resource development manager for the arboretum. “Members of the Davis Botanical Society are also welcome and receive the same discounts.” Links for more information: PLANT SALES and MEMBERSHIP LAWN REMOVAL and DESIGN TIPS LINK TO SLIDESHOW OF PHOTOS

Lawn removal and design tips from the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Team

Katie Hetrick — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:46:16 +0000

CARY AVERY, Associate Director, UC Davis Grounds and Landscape Services: "If you are trying to get rid of Bermuda grass, don't rush the process. Spray it with an herbicide, wait for it to die, remove it, then, if you can, give it another growing season to pop-up and repeat the steps above. You'll be glad you did." ELLEN ZAGORY, Director of Horticulture, UC Davis Arboretum: “Davis residents have a leg-up in the lawn-removal process living so close to the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The plants we’ve selected for this conversion are available at our plant sales. Attractive, low-water, easy-care, region-appropriate plants, that’s our specialty…no need to reinvent the wheel! We’ve removed a lot of the guesswork typically associated with this kind of project.” ANDREW FULKS, Director, UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve and Campus Naturalized Landscapes: “Leaving a bare patch of dirt in your yard for a season or two while your grass dies can be difficult. Consider spreading wildflower seed over the area in the meantime, like we did on La Rue Road. The growth will provide a season of color and beauty as well as deliver necessary nutrition to your soil.” MATT FORREST, Irrigation Supervisor, UC Davis Grounds and Landscape Services: “We switched our irrigation delivery in the median from spray to sub-surface drip line. Now, instead of measuring water use by gallons per minute, we’ll measure water use in gallons per hour! We’ll be providing moisture in the soil where the plants need it most instead of wasting water by spraying it into the air.” CHRISTINA DE MARTINI REYES, Landscape Architect, UC Davis Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture: “Designing the median of a busy street requires a whole different way of looking at landscapes. The goal is to deliver engagement without distraction and consistency without monotony. For me the key to achieving this goal was incorporating one of the central valley’s most versatile native trees, the valley oak. It unified the median while allowing the landscape beneath to shift in pattern and composition.”

La Rue Road Median prepped for fall planting

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:35:03 +0000

The La Rue Road median project continued to move quietly forward over the summer and into fall. The wildflowers that found their home in the median through the spring were cut back and tilled into the soil as summer approached. Next, our teams intermittently watered the median to coax any remaining Bermuda grasses into a second round of growth which would subsequently be treated with an herbicide. (Landscape management best practices suggest this extended approach as an effective way to rid large areas of Bermuda grass.) Now that it's gone we can move on! Look for the irrigation installation to begin in a few weeks followed soon thereafter with a large-scale landscape installation. Ellen Zagory, Arboretum Director of Horticulture, is designing the plant palette. The plants, many of which will be Arboretum All-Stars, have been chosen for their “cast iron” qualities—they’ll be attractive yet able to withstand low levels of water and maintenance. Read more about the history of project here.

Oak grove meadow conversion update

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:30:24 +0000

The mix of meadow grasses planted last year to replace a high-maintenance, high-water lawn west of the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove continues to thrive. See photo below. (Capturing the majestic oaks before they lose their leaves also helps highlight the dramatic makeover!) To read more about the history of this project click here.

La Rue Road median update

Katie Hetrick — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:20:42 +0000

After a long wait and an unusually dry winter, some of the wild flowers planted along the La Rue Road median are finally putting on a show at the intersection of Russell Blvd. and La Rue Road. The lupine, clover and goldfields you see here will replenish the soil's nutrients, prevent erosion, and give our team another growing season to make sure the pesky and resilient Bermuda grasses that once called the median home are completely eliminated. Other patches along the median have not been so flashy as they were subject to compaction and, in some places, complete removal as the result of construction projects taking place along this busy corridor. BACKGROUND The La Rue Median Strip Conversion is the first of two pilot conversion projects to convert high-maintenance turf areas into lower maintenance and lower-cost landscape that will showcase Central Valley ecosystems and Valley-Wise plants. In addition to less water use and less cost to maintain, these conversions will be more attractive and give UC Davis a unique look and sense of place. This next fall the La Rue Road median will be planted with a showcase of ‘cast-iron,’ regionally-appropriate plantings from the UC Davis Arboretum All-Star program. This timeline and method is considered a ‘Best Practice’ for landscape work involving complete elimination of Bermuda-type grasses and one that will be used on similar projects in the future. To learn more about this project, please read our archives on this topic here.

Oak Grove Meadow conversion update

Katie Hetrick — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:50:58 +0000

Our new field of native grasses is taking root and filling in what was once a little-used, high-maintenance lawn on the west side of campus, adjacent to our oak collection. To read more about the history of this project, click here.

La Rue Road median update

Katie Hetrick — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:38:30 +0000

In our last update on this project we let you know that a native wildflower mix would be planted here to allow our teams another growing season to eliminate the Bermuda grasses. (To read more about the history of this project click here.) What happened? The short answer is, the weather! Our teams spread the seed mixture along the entire strip, but we have unfortunately not had the auspicious combination of rain and consistent temperatures above 60 degrees to allow for germination. We have our fingers crossed this week as we've had some rain and are expecting temps in the 60s!

6 month recap of Public Garden Initiative progress

Katie Hetrick — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:26:50 +0000

Six months ago, as a result of support and leadership from UC Davis Administrative and Resource Management Vice Chancellor John Meyer, and in partnership with Campus Planning and Community Resources, the UC Davis Public Garden Initiative began. To commemorate this milestone and inform John of all the progress our teams have made in such a short time we gave him a tour of various public garden initiative projects throughout campus including the:

Download a .pdf of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden June-December 2011 progress report here.

Open publication - Free publishing - More arboretum

Wildflower mix to be planted along La Rue Road median

Katie Hetrick — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:24:53 +0000

In order to convert the high-maintenance, high-water turf landscape on the La Rue Road medians to a low-water, low maintenance feature landscape, we first had to get rid of the Bermuda grass—easier said than done. The extensive root systems of Bermuda grasses go dormant during the winter season rendering them impermeable to traditional spray abatement methods. This past fall Grounds crews were able to spray this stretch of weeds twice in time for most of it to be removed by Civil and Industrial Services crews. In January our team will seed the area with locally-collected native wildflowers including several species of lupine, clover, and goldfields, to replenish the soil of its nutrients, prevent erosion, and give our team another growing season to make sure the pesky and resilient Bermuda grasses are completely eliminated. This next fall the area will be planted with a showcase of ‘cast-iron,’ regionally-appropriate plantings from the UC Davis Arboretum All-Star program. This timeline and method is considered a ‘Best Practice’ for landscape work involving complete elimination of Bermuda-type grasses and one that will be used on similar projects in the future. BACKGROUND The La Rue Median Strip Conversion is the first of two pilot conversion projects to convert high-maintenance turf areas into lower maintenance and lower-cost landscape types which will showcase Central Valley ecosystems and Valley-Wise plants. In addition to less water use and less cost to maintain, these conversions will be more attractive and give UC Davis a unique look and sense of place. To learn more about this project, please read our archives on this topic here.

Oak Grove Meadow conversion and turtle habitat

Katie Hetrick — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:15:00 +0000

About 3 weeks after seeding we have germination at the Oak Grove Meadow! What you see in the photo below is a small Nasella pulchra. Now we wait, and irrigate as necessary if rain doesn’t come.

: Oak Grove meadow conversion

As project manager Andrew Fulks says, “From little seeds grow big meadows.” What Andrew didn’t know when he began this meadow conversion project is that big meadows also provide the perfect nesting habitat for native turtles! This conversion project began as a way to decrease water usage and maintenance hours for a little-used lawn (Read more here.), now it will potentially become vital nesting ground the Western Pond Turtle—a serendipitous outcome! Our team is now going to be working closely with researchers and the campus utilities department on ways to protect the turtles and coordinate maintenance in this area.

Shields Oak Grove meadow: prepped and seeded

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:05:51 +0000

Last week the UC Davis Public Garden team put the finishing touches on the campus's first landscape conversion project—the Shields Oak Grove Meadow. Congratulations to everyone involved in this team effort and to project manager Andrew Fulks, Director of the UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve!

Maintenance for this little-used lawn will be drastically reduced as mowing will move from once-a-week to once-a-year. In addition, when the grasses are established, irrigation frequency will move from 3-4 times a week to once a month.

To prepare for this new low-maintenance, low-water, and native grass landscape the 30-year-old sprinkler system was updated by the Grounds and Landscape Services irrigation team for water coverage suited to taller grasses; the soil was tilled and prepped by Arboretum Steward Robert Bohn, Sr.; and then seeded with with a mixture of native grasses by Jean-Paul Marié, Steward of the UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve. For the grass enthusiasts out there the specific blend we used is as follows: Purple needlegrass (44.83%), Meadow barley (20.69%), California oniongrass (10.34%), Junegrass (6.90%), and Squirrel tail (17.24%). To read more about this landscape conversion, click here.

La Rue Road median progress: grass removal

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:59:03 +0000

This pilot project is already well on its way to completion thanks to a collaborative group of Public Garden team members including Andrew Fulks, Director of the Riparian Reserve. who is serving as project manager for this conversion effort. Dave Klippert and his Civil and Industrial Services team are now preparing the space for its sustainable, low-maintenance landscape by removing the grass and hauling the extra dirt away so that Matt Forrest's team from Grounds and Landscape Services can retrofit the irrigation from sprinklers to drip. Skip Mezger and Christina DeMartini Reyes from Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture are putting the finishing touches on a landscape plan that will include 10 types of plants determined to be 'cast-iron,' regionally-appropriate, low-maintenance selections for this environment by Arboretum staff members Ellen Zagory, Emily Griswold and Ryan Deering. BEFORE

DURING The dead grass is removed from the median, scooped up and removed from the site.

AFTER

For a recap of all the posts about this conversion project click here.

La Rue Road median conversion: prepped for grass removal

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:57:19 +0000

As you can see from these before and after photos, the grass on the La Rue Road medians is now prepped for removal and conversion from a high-maintenance, high-water lawn, to a low-water, low-maintenance, beautiful landscape featuring plant selections from the UC Davis Arboretum All-Star program. BEFORE AFTER Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture architects Skip Mezger and Christina DeMartini Reyes are currently working on a draft irrigation and planting plan in partnership with Arboretum horticulturalists Ellen Zagory, Emily Griswold, and Ryan Deering. Civil and Industrial Services will begin removing the grass next week and retrofitting the irrigation from spray to drip. To read more about how UC Davis is working to redefine the campus landscapes click here.

La Rue Road Medians Conversion: October 2011

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:19:29 +0000

Grounds staff have sprayed the turf in the median and you should see the grass turning brown. In a couple of weeks, the turf will be removed and work will begin on retrofit of the irrigation from spray to drip. The Arboretum staff has prepared a list of plants to be considered as CPCR Landscape Architects begin the design. Watch for heavy equipment in November! Below is a photo of to show you just how large this project is. The medians being converted to a low-water, low-maintenance landscape stretch from Russell Blvd. to Garrod Drive. For more information about this conversion to a low-maintenance, low-water, regionally-appropriate landscape, see our previous post here. To download a .pdf of this file, click the image below.

Shields Oak Grove Conversion: October 2011

Katie Hetrick — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:46:09 +0000

Another pilot conversion project is the Arboretum meadow turf conversion at Shields Oak Grove. This project continues moving forward as well. Initial herbicide treatments took place last week just before the storms moved in. The next step will be a retrofit of the irrigation system, followed by seeding around November 15 with purple needlegrass, a native California grass. For more information about this low-maintenance, low-water, regionally-appropriate landscape conversion, read our previous article here. Purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra) was once a dominant species in California grasslands before invasive grasses became dominant. The seeds of N. pulchra were an important food source for many California Indian tribes. Today, it is the 'State Grass of California' and plays an important role in native grassland restoration and erosion control. (Excerpt on purple needlegrass from Wikipedia.) Photo of purple needlegrass below.