Don’t quit. Enviroscape!

I’m cheap.

Hate to waste gas, so I turn off my car A/C every night at 7 p.m.

Hate to waste electricity so I only turn on one large lamp in the middle of the first floor from 9 p.m. until I retire at 11 p.m.

According to South Florida Water Management District Service Center we’re in the middle of year five of one of the worst water shortages in history. This year’s below average rainfall and last year’s decision to lower Lake Okeechobee, (in the event of hurricanes that thankfully never came), depleted South Florida's water supply. Water restrictions are expected to remain in effect at least until the mid-summer, with tighter restrictions effective May 16 for Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The lake continues to be below normal for this time of year pointing to an even tougher water crisis in 2008.

So why does my yard look like an Amazon rainforest? Sucking the life out of my house budget?

And, adding insult to injury, danger lurks for the well-intentioned homeowner who just gives up on his lawn during the water crisis. Today NBC6 reported the City of Riviera Beach, Florida actually fined homeowners with brown lawns, for letting their grass die during the drought.

Listen up folks. One word: Xeriscape.

Homeowners associations are looking at plants like bougainvillea, Mexican sagebush, blackfoot daisy, red yucca, and lazy daisy as a way to reduce water consumption.

Don't forget to add mulch. Mulching avoids water evaporation from the soil surface, provides ground cover so you use less plants and suppress weeds. Three to four inches of mulch ought to do it.

All plants need water until they are established, regardless of whether they are xeriscape plants or not, say landscape architecture officials in the City of Plantation (Tree City USA), but once they are, they can definitely reduce water requirements.

Modified PHASE II Restrictions, are as follows:

Lawn watering and car washing are limited to twice a week from 4-8 a.m. on:

Wednesdays and Saturdays for those with home addresses ending with ODD numbers (1,3,5,7,9)

Thursdays and Sundays for those with home addresses ending with EVEN numbers (0,2,4,6,8) or those with no number in the address.

Hand watering (with a hose with a shut-off nozzle) is allowed every day except Friday, from 5-7 p.m. as necessary to prevent plant die-off.