Gardens of the World keeps 4.5 acres of flowers blooming and lawns green year-round while it partners with the city to conserve water.

As residents struggle to keep their landscapes alive while the city enforces mandatory Level 1 water conservation measures, the garden showplace across the street from city hall tries to be a good example of how to use a minimum amount of water to get by.

“Gardens of the World is the flagship. They are good examples of how to conserve water,” said city public works director Mark Watkins.

They’re not the only ones.

“People are embracing and rethinking old habits. Residents are conserving water,” Watkins said.

Water usage in Thousand Oaks was down by 30 percent in June and 16 percent in July—significant steps toward the city’s mandate to reduce water consumption by 15 percent this year and thus avoid a $4million penalty to its water supplier.

Public works officials have said everyone in Southern California must remember recent record dry weather has dramatically decreased runoff from the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which is where the city’s water originates. Also, environmental concerns about the Delta smelt fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are restricting water suppliers from using pipes built to transport water to Southern California.

Gardens of the World at 2001 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. must keep alive 39 varieties of roses along with hundreds of other plants that fill its Italian, French, Japanese, English and mission courtyard gardens. Fruit trees include olive and citrus, and there are large lawns and bamboo.

“We’ve been trying to conserve water for years—prior to it being mandatory,” resident manager Marianne Coulson said.

Her husband, Larry Coulson, also a resident manager, has been replacing sprinkler heads with rotary nozzles made by Rain Bird that are supposed to use 30 percent less water. The gardens have thousands of sprinkler heads, but so far Coulson’s been able to replace only about 300. The new sprinkler heads can be purchased at local hardware stores for about $6 each, he said.

The couple also micromanages how many minutes the sprinkler stations stay on. Currently the city allows people to water three times a week for 15 minutes, but he said that’s way too much.

“That’s where most people go wrong, Coulson said. “They let the water go too long, and it runs off into the street and down drains.”

“None of our sprinklers go for more than five minutes two times a week. Usually they go for only two to three minutes,” his wife said.

They also keep the blades on their lawn mowers sharpened. If the blade is dull, it tears the grass instead of cutting it, making it thirstier, Coulson said.

“It takes about 10 minutes to sharpen the lawnmower blades. We do that about once a month,” he said.

They also blow their sidewalks to keep them swept. They never hose them off, said Marianne Coulson.

Indoor tips

According to the city, residents can save three gallons of water a day by turning off the water when brushing teeth, up to five gallons each time a shower is shortened by a couple of minutes and 20 gallons a day by fixing leaks. Between 15 and 50 gallons can also be saved by washing a full load of laundry instead of several partial loads.

Items going into the recycle bin need not be perfectly clean, Watkins said. A can of corn dumped into a pan, for instance, is clean enough to throw into the bin. Peanut butter jars would need to be scraped out with a spatula but don’t need to be scrubbed with soap and water, he said.

Outdoor tips

Outdoor savings for residents come by watering yards before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to reduce evaporation. Just doing that could save about 25 gallons a day. A smart sprinkler controller that waters depending on the weather could save about 40 gallons a day.

Mulching around plants also reduces evaporation. Using a broom to clean driveways and sidewalks instead of washing them down with a hose could save 150 gallons each time. Checking sprinkler systems for leaks, overspray and broken sprinkler heads could save 500 gallons a month.

City officials also ask that excessive water use be reported to the homeowner, homeowners association or business owner.

If that doesn’t produce results, the city has a water hotline at (805) 375-5747 available to report any excessive water use.