
Juan Soulas
SPECIALTY: Conservation
ABOUT:
Juan Soulas is a conservation planner for San Antonio Water System. Since joining SAWS in 2007 his duties have focused on residential water use. He works with his Conservation colleagues to help customers find ways to reduce outdoor usage without compromising the health and aesthetic quality of their landscapes. Juan also coordinates engaging outreach efforts with SAWS’ conservation partners — Bexar County Master Gardeners, Gardening Volunteers of South Texas, San Antonio Botanical Garden and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center – to increase community access to vital conservation information.
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Now is the time to edit your landscape
Whether you’re planning your first garden bed or a total landscape makeover, our WaterSaver Coupons can help! After a long brutal summer, fall brings a much-needed respite. More importantly, it’s prime time to make changes that will make your landscape more resilient — and our WaterSaver coupons and rebates can help! First things first: Assess […]
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It’s time to transform your troubled landscape
If you plan to plant, act now — don’t wait until the heat of summer. And use our WaterSaver coupons and rebates to save some cash! As sure as the scent of purple wafting from local mountain laurels is a harbinger of spring, so is the return of SAWS WaterSaver Landscape Coupons! Through Oct. 15, […]
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Create the Outdoor Oasis of Your Dreams
New patios, permeable decks and other hardscape projects are eligible for the new Outdoor Living Rebate — available now! Have you been wanting to create an outdoor living space for family gatherings, or a backyard retreat to relax al fresco? With the new Outdoor Living Rebate, SAWS can help you create the outdoor space you’ve […]
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Satisfy Your Wildflower Wanderlust
Early spring wildflowers like bluebonnets may have faded by now, but many others are just getting started. While a dry winter may not produce the profusion of color seen in a wet year, don’t let it diminish your fun of seeking out photo-worthy fields of flowers. Early spring wildflowers like bluebonnets may have faded by […]
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Welcome Back, WaterSaver Landscape Coupons!
Liven up your landscape with SAWS WaterSaver Landscape Coupons – available March 1! The spring season is always a welcome relief, especially after a long, dry winter. If you find yourself inspired to make changes to your landscape, there’s no better way to accomplish that than with WaterSaver Coupons! Beginning March 1, SAWS residential customers may […]
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Last Chance To Apply for WaterSaver Coupons
Wishing you had a flagstone patio with a toasty fire pit for chilly fall nights? Make your wishes come true now — apply by Oct. 15! Fall is a great time to admire and enjoy your outdoor space. Ideally, you’d have a colorful garden filled with fall flowering plants like esperanza or firebush and a […]
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Thin Soil? Don’t Fight It — Exploit It!
No matter where your home is located, the key to a thriving, water-saving landscape is one that works with — not against — its natural characteristics. Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, San Antonio’s booming northwest side is a prime location for a specific landscaping challenge: thin or shallow soils. But all is not lost. […]
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Rescue Your Landscape with WaterSaver Coupons
Dare to dream up a sublime space alfresco that also saves water. Then bring it to life with SAWS WaterSaver Coupons! After a rough winter, spring has never been more welcomed than this year. If you find yourself inspired to make changes to your landscape, there’s no better way to accomplish that than with WaterSaver […]
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Help Your Landscape Fend Off a Freeze
Your most vulnerable plants are counting on you to protect them from frigid temps. Follow these tips to make sure your landscape is ready for a freezing forecast. Freeze events in San Antonio are few and far between, but when they do occur it’s important to be prepared to protect your most vulnerable plants. A […]
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Got Your Coupons Yet?
Grass is the most water-demanding, labor-intensive part of your landscape. Don’t miss your chance to replace it with stunning drought-tolerant plants or patioscape using our WaterSaver Coupons! How many times have you mowed or watered your lawn this year? Tired of maintaining and watering it yet? And paying the high bill that comes along with […]
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Create Your Happy Little Landscape
Does your landscape bring you joy? It can — with a little help from GardenStyleSA.com and our WaterSaver Coupons! Mowing season has just begun and this year is certainly different as many of us find ourselves spending more time at home — and more hours looking intently at our grass-dominated yards. Does your landscape bring […]
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WaterSaver Coupons Are In Bloom!
Transform your outdoor space from blah to beautiful — and use SAWS coupons to save up to $400 on plants and other project materials. Spring time means more time for gardening, and the return of WaterSaver Coupons! Creating the beautiful, water-saving garden of your dreams is simple — and more affordable — when you use […]
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Give Your Irrigation System a Holiday
Automatic sprinkler systems make it easy to set it and forget it, but this time of year it can be a wasteful and costly convenience. The solution: Turn it off. Your landscape and wallet will thank you. Know when to turn it off — that’s the mantra often heard from SAWS encouraging customers to be […]
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WaterSaver Coupons Are Waiting For You!
Thousands of San Antonians have replaced part of their water-guzzling grass with dazzling drought-tolerant plants or patioscape. Will you be next? WaterSaver Coupons return Aug. 15! It may not feel like it, but autumn is right around the corner — and that means it’s time to start executing your fall landscaping plans. Arriving just in […]
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Spring Coupon Season Ending Soon!
There’s still time to make big water-saving changes to your landscape this spring (with big cost savings to boot). Apply for SAWS WaterSaver Landscape and Patioscape coupons — deadline is May 31. Mowing season has just begun. Tired of it yet? It’s worth repeating, grass is the single most water-demanding and labor intensive part of […]
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Plan Your WaterSaver Projects Now
A successful landscape transformation starts with preparation. Start now and you’ll be ready when the WaterSaver Landscape and Patioscape Coupons are active. Here’s how you can prep in the meantime. Plan your project! A well thought out plan will help you execute changes that’ll result in a beautiful water-saving landscape. It’ll also help you with […]
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Make the Most of Hand Watering
There’s an art to watering well with a handheld hose. When done correctly, hand watering yields amazing results. It’s also an enjoyable, relaxing way to spend time in your landscape. Hand watering is the easiest, most efficient means of irrigating your landscape. Although it seems time-consuming, the effort you put into it often yields the […]
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Get Your WaterSaver Coupons
Mowing season has just begun. Tired of it yet? It’s worth repeating, the grass is the single most water-demanding and labor-intensive part of maintaining a residential landscape. Why not cut back the amount of grass and free up some time to enjoy your landscape instead? SAWS’ WaterSaver Landscape and Patioscape coupons will help you replace grass with drought-hardy plants […]
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WaterSaver Coupons Spring Forth
Don’t just dream about having a lush, water-efficient landscape and inviting outdoor living space. Create it (and save a ton of money) using SAWS WaterSaver Coupons! Springtime is upon us, and that means SAWS WaterSaver coupons are emerging from their winter slumber to inspire smart landscape makeovers. SAWS residential customers can apply for up to […]
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Rest, Ponder and Plan: Strategize Landscape Changes Now
You don’t need to head outdoors to preplan improvements to your landscape. Get all the inspiration, ideas and how-tos you need right from the comfort of your favorite chair. When you look out at your winter landscape, how do you see it? Do you think it looks pretty good? Or, does it leave a lot […]
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Irrigation Maintenance During Winter
If you have an irrigation system, now is a good time to check for any irrigation maintenance issues. Walk around your yard when it’s dry and look for any unexpected wet spots. If you find any, mark them because there may be a leak. Next, run each zone and check for broken or blown spray […]
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Dramatic Changes = Big Water Savings
All turf grasses require more water than beds of perennials, shrubs or trees. So the most effective change you can make is to replace the lawn with beds of heat-hardy plants. A WaterSaver landscape has no more than 50 percent lawn for the entire landscape — less is even better. Although some grass varieties need less water […]
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3 Reasons to Schedule an Irrigation Consultation
Whether you’re currently planning the details of a project or simply mulling over some preliminary ideas, the first step is to schedule a free SAWS Irrigation Consultation. Are you planning a landscape project this spring, or perhaps later this year? Do you have automatic irrigation system and use it regularly? Whether you’re currently planning the details […]
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3 Reasons to Schedule an Irrigation Consultation
Whether you’re currently planning the details of a project or simply mulling over some preliminary ideas, the first step is to schedule a free SAWS Irrigation Consultation. Are you planning a landscape project this spring, or perhaps later this year? Do you have automatic irrigation system and use it regularly? Whether you’re currently planning the details […]
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Assessing Your Landscape for Change
Perhaps you’ve been thinking of updating your 1990s grass-dominant landscape, or you’re a new homeowner who hasn’t had a chance to personalize your preselected landscape, or you realize that you’ve spent a small fortune just to keep your full-sun St. Augustine grass alive. No matter your reason or how big or small of a project […]
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Springtime Irrigation Maintenance
An automated irrigation system offers many conveniences, but convenience is not without responsibility. You should inspect your irrigation system for potential problems monthly and have it checked thoroughly at least twice a year, in the fall and spring. If not properly maintained, large amounts of water can be wasted. Before you use your irrigation system […]
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Grade Your Landscape’s Summer Performance
The end of summer is just about here. Now is a great time to consider how well your landscape fared this past summer. You can learn a great deal from simple-yet-thoughtful observations. If you followed SAWS’ watering advice your landscape likely survived mostly unscathed. In fact, with the right plant selection, placement and good year-round maintenance your […]
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Irrigation System Maintenance for Spring
An automated irrigation system offers many conveniences, but convenience is not without responsibility. You should inspect your irrigation system for potential problems monthly and have it checked thoroughly at least twice a year, in the fall and spring. If not properly maintained, large amounts of water can be wasted. Before you use your irrigation system […]
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Perennials: Pretty and Persistent
Compared to store-bought annuals, perennials are reliable, resilient staples of a water-saving landscape. Perennials live more than one year with some, such as live oaks, living almost 200 years. Through careful selection and proper care, perennials will keep your garden looking great year round – and for a long time. The key to a perennial’s true resilience […]
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Landscaping Lingo
The gardening world is filled with confusing landscaping lingo, such as different names for the same plant and terms that are used separately and interchangeably. Mix in SAWS conservation goals and the City of San Antonio conservation ordinance, and the confusion grows. We’re here to help. One of the goals of GardenStyleSA.com and our newsletter is to provide […]
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Take a Winter Holiday from Watering
Know when to turn it off. You’ve seen it emblazoned across billboards throughout San Antonio: SAWS’ reminder of the day and times we’re allowed to water. But this time of year that’s even easier to remember because you can consider turning it off for the entire winter! For those of you who hand water or […]
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Dreary Landscape? The Drought May Not Be the Only Culprit.
Let’s face it. Our landscapes don’t look so hot this year. The most obvious reason is the lack of rain. But does your yard look worse than expected? There could be something else going on. Frequent watering can conceal vulnerabilities in landscapes that drought conditions will expose. Here are a few other issues to consider: […]
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Garden Tips
WaterSaver landscapes are composed of no more than 50 percent turf — less is even better. Although some grass varieties need less water than others, all grasses require more water than mulched beds of drought-tolerant plants. (Hint, hint.) Probably the most effective water-saving change you can make is to replace your grass with garden beds […]
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Backbone Plants – Garden Workhorses
Believe it or not, having an attractive, low-maintenance, water-efficient landscape year-round is possible. The key: a backbone – of shrubs, that is. These garden workhorses are able to withstand extreme weather conditions and, in most cases, are the lone survivors of an otherwise stressed landscape. San Antonio can experience weather extremes – from a dry, […]
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Herbs: From Landscape to Kitchen
Looking for some variety in your landscape? Consider herbs. Aside from their culinary use, herbs have many medicinal and nutritional benefits. Herbs are versatile, practical, and wonderfully fragrant plants — think Spanish lavender and Mexican mint marigold — that add ornamental interest to your landscape. Basil, for instance, has numerous varieties with different leaf colors and textures. Some herbs boast beautiful […]
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The Landscape: Your Home’s Other Insulation
Summers in South Texas can be very challenging for landscapes. With the intense heat and dry conditions, our main goal has been to simply keep them alive and healthy. During these challenging months, Watering recommendations may emphasize watering high valued trees and shrubs so you won’t lose what comprises the backbone of your landscape. But another equally compelling reason […]
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Give Your Yard Some Texas Backbone, Y’all!
Take a look around your landscape. Is it looking limp? Lacking structure? Give it some backbone — of Texas-style evergreens, that is. Believe it or not, having an attractive, low-maintenance, water-efficient landscape year-round is possible. The key: a backbone – of Texas-style evergreens, that is. And you know what? …that includes structural natives like red […]