California Lawns

The drought in the west is bad, we've all been reading about that. This summer California limited lawn watering to once a week for only 10 minutes per zone. The monitoring and penalties for not complying are pretty strict. 
 

At my son's house the once per week schedule has had an effect -- browned out turf, dead shrubs and patchy looking thin ornamentals. And every neighborhood looks dry and brown. Just before we arrived a rare summer rainstorm had come through, breaking a heat wave and improving things greatly.

But that's rare, summer rain is not a thing in California. And adequate irrigation watering is now not a thing either. Lawns will have to go.

Years ago Santa Fe got rid of all its lawns. It's remarkable how no one has a lawn and how normal the gravel front yards look all around us. They are usually attractively kept, decorated with rock swales and paths and because no one has a lawn anywhere, it looks cohesive. It looks right.

Since we moved, I've been thrilled with how low maintenance our outdoor space is. No mowing, edging, fertilizing, thatching, raking, watering or pest control applications. No ugly weeds. No constant roar of mowers all summer. No fussing over brown spots and no looking at brown dormant turf all winter. 

In California there aren't dormant periods with ugly brown lawns in winter. The grass stays green all year and usable for outdoor activities even in January. I just don't think gravel yards will work for California homes.

My son loves his grass backyard and they use it all the time. The dog runs down the length catching thrown rope toys, the baby plays on it, they set up chairs for parties out on the lawn and it's like an alternative living room for them all year long.

So, if gravel isn't a solution, what can they do? 

I've been trying to convince him that artificial turf is the answer. Many homes here already have it installed, and honestly, it looks good, so much improved since the days of shiny green plastic carpeting. This stuff looks real (ish). They weave bits of brown in with the green and make the blades uneven for a natural look. It's even soft. It's great for the baby to play on.

There are downsides too, of course. It does nothing for bugs and birds and wildlife -- but neither does a browned out turf patch. It isn't real -- but little about a suburban yard is real. A playset, scattered dog toys, some chairs and a plastic pool will complement the green expanse, making it look natural, if not exactly real.

The key will be what we discovered in Santa Fe -- if everyone has the same materials in their yards, it will look cohesive. It will look normal. It will look right.

It will look so much better than dying brown patchy grass.