Ways to improve your lawn and save water!

#1 it preserves water!

If you live in an area such as Southern California which experiences periods of drought, you’re probably subject to watering restrictions. Fortunately, your landscape can be surprisingly resilient and drought tolerant using these measures. 

Although Los Angeles County isn’t technically a desert, Los Angeles, Pasadena and the surrounding cities is seriously threatened by drought. In fact, water officials enacted new drought rules at the start of 2022 in an effort to reduce water waste statewide.

You can still have a nice landscape and cut water use. Our guide to drought-resistant landscaping will help save you money, benefit the environment, and create a backyard paradise of beauty and function. 

Hardscaping

Hardscaping includes all the nonliving elements of your lawn. Think of things made of brick, concrete, metal, and rock. All of which doesn’t require any water.

Hardscaping doesn’t have to be boring, either. Beautiful benches, colorful tiled walkways, and modern fire pits create vibrant and welcoming places for friends and family to gather. 

If you want to incorporate hardscaping and impress your guests, build a rock garden. A rock garden is a drought-tolerant landscaping feature that uses boulders, pebbles, and all different colors and sizes of rocks to create a serene area to relax. 

Plants

Native plants are resilient and adapted to the California climate. That means even moisture-loving plants can usually survive dry spells, making them perfect for a drought-tolerant garden. Plus, they don’t need as much maintenance as most perennials. 

Benefits of native plants include:

• Attract pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies
• Require little or no fertilizer
• Uses less water than imported plants

We know a lush, green lawn is a homeowner’s dream. A yard full of turfgrass isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, though. In a climate that doesn’t get a lot of rainfall, maintaining a traditional lawn requires a lot of time, effort, and most importantly, water. In California, lawn irrigation accounts for 40-60% of all total landscape irrigation.

If you want to lower your water use but still want a yard full of green, you can shrink your lawn to a more sustainable size and compensate with a rock garden or a rain garden.