By Angela Hill: Oakland Tribune, March 6, 2014

Water-Wise Garden_Photo Courtesy Jeni Pfeiffer

Gardeners, dry those tears — or maybe collect them to water your hydrangeas. Yes, we’re looking at drought-induced water restrictions in the coming months despite the recent rain, and reality soon will place California home landscapes on a permanent water diet — reducing liquid-loving lawns and moisture-gluttonous plants and instead bulking up on water-wise vegetation that’s fit for the future.

But that doesn’t mean we will be left with rock gardens and cactus — not that there’s anything wrong with that. Experts say we can use this as an opportunity to get creative, think outside the boxwood, reimagine lawn areas and go wild with the abundant beauty of natives, succulents and even, yes, cactus in its many colors and structural shapes.

CLICK HERE for the full Mercury News Article