You’ve probably heard a great deal of news over the past few years about the drought conditions that have plagued California, and the need for water-wise irrigation. And, no doubt, you noticed that last year’s “rainy season” was actually somewhat rainy.

So, is the drought over?

Maybe, maybe not. That remains to be seen. But here is what we do know: California’s water supply questions are a long-term issue, and it’s important for all of us to use water wisely, in times of drought and in rainy years, too.

That’s why Stay Green has launched its new Water Management Services department, aiming to deliver water-wise solutions for beautiful and healthy landscapes.

California’s water supply faces a variety of environmental and infrastructure-related challenges that must be addressed beyond any single drought cycle. The state has set a target of a 20 percent per capita reduction in water use by the year 2020, and we all need to do our part to achieve this goal by ensuring that we use water efficiently.

Here at Stay Green, we consider water use efficiency to be an important and ongoing part of our job, whether it’s in our planning end execution of landscaping plans for our clients or in our efforts to educate the public about water-wise landscaping and irrigation choices.

For example, this year we have partnered with Six Flags California to post a series of water-wise education signs in the Magic Mountain theme park. We’re proud to provide landscape maintenance services to Magic Mountain, the Santa Clarita Valley’s biggest tourism showcase, and we’re grateful that the theme park’s management shares our vision of not only implementing smart water use practices, but also helping to educate the public.

The signs, posted in various locations, provide the park’s guests with a variety of tips on water-wise irrigation and drought-tolerant landscaping choices.

We bring these philosophies with us when we help our clients plan their own landscaping, too. We take great pride in helping our clients choose plants that will not only thrive in the local climate, but also will look beautiful, too.

It’s also important to properly maintain your landscaping to ensure that you are irrigating efficiently. If your trees, plants and shrubs don’t receive the proper care, they won’t make the best use of the irrigation they receive. At Stay Green, we make sure your plants are properly trimmed and maintained, so they are healthy and thriving throughout the year. We also use the right tools to get the job done — whether we’re trimming a rose bush or charting out an irrigation schedule.

All of these factors are important as we strive to make sure our clients not only have beautiful landscaping, but also are maintaining their landscaping in a healthy, water-wise way. It’s not only good for your water bill, but also a good example of responsible stewardship for our valuable resources — in rainy years and dry ones alike.