Summerlin man wins award

Summerlin resident Doug Pool was recognized for his award-winning landscape in the 10th annual Southern Nevada Water Authority Landscape Awards. Pool, along with Norm Schilling, president of Schilling Horticulture Group, received a first-place award in the category of Single-family Residential Landscape Design by a Professional.

According to Pool, the landscape project at his home in The Canyons Village was an adventure.

"I walked through Red Rock Canyon looking at plants, taking pictures and later identifying the species in books," he said. "I decided I wanted to feature only native Mojave desert plants in my front yard, a request Norm Schilling embraced and perfected. The project turned out better than I anticipated and I am thrilled with the result"The amount of thought and detail that went into the plant selection and layout of this landscape is truly amazing," said Beth Moore, SNWA public information coordinator.

"The best part is that it's extremely water efficient. In fact, once the indigenous landscape is fully established, it has the potential to live off rainfall alone," Moore said.

Schilling has over two decades experience in the Southern Nevada landscape industry and started Schilling Horticulture Group in 2003. He is co-host of Desert Bloom, a gardening program on KNPR, 88.9 FM.

"I love educating the public on how they can achieve a vibrant desert landscape that far surpasses the cactus and cow skull concept that once epitomized desert landscapes," Schilling said. Businesses and developers have become more water conservation oriented, according to Tom Warden, senior vice president of community and government relations for The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin. Warden has worked closely with SNWA on landscape conversion and design projects throughout Summerlin.

"Water-smart landscaping is more attractive than turf, requires less maintenance and conserves water -- one of our valley's most precious natural resources," Warden said. "It's the smart thing to do for both businesses and residents."

Since SNWA launched its Water Smart Landscape Rebate program in 1999, nearly 13 million square feet of grass in Summerlin has been converted to water-efficient landscaping -- enough sod to stretch an 18-inch roll from Las Vegas to Houston.

In 2003, Summerlin became the first master plan in Southern Nevada to adopt water conservation guidelines for all new homes in the community.

Located at the western rim of the valley, Summerlin spans 22,500 acres.

Significant water conservation efforts in the community include the 2004 landscape conversion of the roundabout at Town Center Drive and Village Center Circle, which received first place in commercial and institutional design category in the 2006 competition.