They say you never miss the well until the water runs dry. Some California residents are literally living that reality as California enters its 4th year of drought. This is perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen. Unfortunately California isn’t the only state feeling an absence of rain. As of late September, the Southwest states neighboring California are facing at least a moderate drought. However, none of those states are facing the extremes of California, where the drought has been a slowly building natural disaster since 2012.
In his most sweeping action ever to combat the devastating multi-year drought, California Governor Jerry Brown ordered residents and businesses to cut water use by 25%. Imposing what is to be the first mandatory statewide reduction in California history! This means that it’s time to Slow the Flow . . . parks and golf courses must immediately cut a quarter of their water use on ornamental turf and homeowners will be pressed to replace thirsty lawns with ‘drought-tolerant landscaping’.
The state’s focus on lawns makes good sense given that grass and other landscaping accounts for up to 50% of all Southern California water use. We’ve become so used to having such lush, beautiful green lawns with palm trees and seasonal flowers. It’s going to be hard to come to grips that the term Golden State could soon refer to the hue of California’s lawns.
Drought Tolerant Yards
Some homeowner are not quite ready to give up that lush, green Southern California look and are opting in to the benefits of Artificial Grass . . . NO mowing, trimming, fertilizing, weeding, or watering for up to 20 years! Did I mention that it is Always Green? If this option sounds appealing to you, you may want to check your Local Water Company for available Landscape Rebate Programs. Get Paid to Turf… You could earn anywhere from $2 to $5 per square foot by switching to Artificial Grass.
Synthetic Turf that will Always be Green
Lose the Lawn
There are a myriad of options should you decide to go lawnless. Below are some ideas that use hardscape like flagstone and wide concrete pathways along with Pacific Gold gravel paves to make it easier to lose the lawn. There are a variety of carefully selected plants with low water requirements that give the yard an all season appeal. Plants like New Zealand Flax, Kangaroo paws, black-eyed Susans, fountain grass, blue star creeper and Boston Ivy (which turns reddish in the fall) create just enough low maintenance greenery to create a lush feel.
For those that want a more tropical look, this idea is great using Sago Palms, Pygmy Date Palms, King Palms, with a variety of Succulents strategically placed and surrounded by gravel pavers and colored bark.
Did you know that replacing even a part of your water-thirsty lawn with drought tolerant landscape can save 1,000-1,00 gallons of water per month!
Cutting back on our outdoor watering is the surest solution to reducing residential water consumption. Drought tolerant landscaping does not have to be just rocks and cactus. With the use of non-thirsty plants, yards can still look lush and colorful and be more environmentally friendly.
Additional Resources
If you are looking for more ideas on how you can transform your landscape, visit these local water-efficient demonstration gardens:
- Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, Claremont, CA
- Maloof Foundation Discovery Garden, Rancho Cucamonga
Visit www.bewaterwise.com and access The Garden Spot to view California friendly gardens that are every bit as beautiful, not nearly as thirsty.
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