A penny saved is a peony earned when it comes to the San Antonio Water System’s annual Spring Bloom event.
The event, which offers educational programming and a free plant for each of the first 1,000 attendees, will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at SAWS headquarters. This year’s guests will get to pick from four plant varieties: salvia, Turk’s cap, rosemary or autumn sage.
The theme for this year’s Spring Bloom, “Garden like a Texan,” encourages residents to plant water-saving, weather-resistant garden plants in their yards and to be smart about their water use, said SAWS Vice President of Conservation Karen Guz.
“With the weather we’ve experienced the last few years, this is more than ever something that our customers are very interested in,” Guz told SAWS trustees Tuesday during the board’s monthly meeting. “We have people really worried with the intense summers we’ve experienced, but the good news is there are plants that can thrive in those conditions.”
Last year’s Spring Bloom event was SAWS’ largest ever, with nearly 2,000 residents in attendance, Guz said. While not everyone was able to snag one of the 1,000 free plants, all attendees had an opportunity to engage in the event’s programming, which also included plant sales, she added.
This year’s event will include a 9:30 a.m. session on landscaping for resiliency, a 10:30 a.m. session about SAWS’ drought rule updates and an 11:30 a.m. session on proper tree watering. Spring Bloom is a family-friendly event that offers educational opportunities for all ages, Guz said.
The utility will also use the event as a chance to encourage residents to download SAWS’ new app, she added. The app allows SAWS customers to pay their bills online, view their monthly, daily and hourly water use, and see information for other upcoming events.
