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Karen Guz

Specialty: Vice President of Conservation

Karen grew up taking family vacations to national parks and scenic rivers. A one-time kayak river guide in her home state of Pennsylvania, she got herself to Texas as fast as she could. Now as the director of conservation at SAWS, she is responsible for meeting San Antonio’s long-term water conservation goals by leading a high energy, creative team of conservation planners. She first worked for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service providing a variety of horticulture and 4-H educational programs to the community before joining SAWS in 2000. When she’s not helping San Antonio live up to its reputation as a national leader in water conservation, she enjoys the outdoors as an avid hiker…continuing the tradition of luring the rest of her family to national parks and ranger talks.

Karen Guz's Latest Garden Articles

Drought continues despite rains this year

The good news is shorter days and cooler temperatures mean we can reduce our outdoor water use. The past five years of drought conditions in San Antonio have been a […]

Is drought the new normal?

Water conservation is everyone’s responsibility. What you do at your home or business to save water really does make a difference. For those who don’t know, San Antonio is in […]

A Landscape Design Challenge

Winter is the perfect time to take on a landscape project in San Antonio. It’s comfortable to work outside, and plants will get a chance to get their roots started […]

Join the Conservation Conversation

Water conservation is a communitywide effort — that’s why we want your input on our draft five-year conservation plan. Water conservation remains a high priority in San Antonio. Our proven […]

Winter Weeds Winding Up

Common annual cool season weeds in our area come up from the seeds of last winter. Deal with their arrival with these tips. What a relief to have cool weather […]

Round it Up, Dig it Up or Cover it Up

Grass can be tenacious and return to compete with new plants if it is not eradicated properly. For all of the talk about grass dying or looking unsightly during drought, […]

Soaker Hoses — Good, Bad and Ugly

Soaker hoses can be an effective and efficient watering tool for beds, shrubs and trees. But use them incorrectly and you may be blindsided with a huge water bill. Soaker […]

Schedule a Free Conservation Consultation

Spring is just around the corner and with it comes the need to ensure your irrigation system is in good working order. If your irrigation system was dormant this winter due to […]

Non-Native Plant Mistakes

I console myself with the reminder that we learn from our mistakes. In the case of some errors though, the fix requires a lot of work. In the past, I […]

Special Garden Additions

Want to add some wow to your garden? These special garden beauties make a San Antonio statement with vibrant blooms and striking shapes that not only add interest and excitement, […]

Soaker Hoses

Deliver more water to the roots where it’s needed. Wildscape Watering Technique: Avoid watering flowers from the top because the water washes off nectar that is important to wildlife. Instead […]

Getting Rid of Plant Clippings

Pruning back top-frozen perennials produces a surprisingly big pile of brush. Smaller materials can be added to your compost pile. But, getting rid of larger branches is a challenge for […]

Whack Weeds the Old-Fashioned Way

If you’re thinking about running to the store for some product to rid your yard of recently thriving weeds, don’t. Weed and feed will not help your situation now. It’s […]

Xeriscape

What is a Xeriscape? *** HOW TO PRONOUNCE “XERISCAPE” (zîr’ i˘-ska¯p‘) zer-i-scape ZIH-rih-skape Xeriscape is a trademarked term created by Denver Water. *** A landscape is a xeriscape if it […]

Save Water with Soaker Hoses

Soaker hoses are a great way to irrigate perennial beds, and newly-planted shrubs and trees. They are so inexpensive that you can buy several and leave them snaked around throughout […]

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