The perfect home comes in many styles – Victorian, colonial, ranch, contemporary, modern etc. A common feature however is having a well manicured lawn. Now, that is considered a typical house. But does it have to be?
Having a lawn is expensive to begin with. Just the amount of water it consumes itself is so high. Research shows Californians use roughly ~50,000 gallons per thousand sq. ft. lawn area each year! And while installing a lawn already comes with a price, the gear needed to maintain it adds to the expenditure. A lawn mower, a lawn trimmer, sprinklers, shears…
We redesigned the traditional front lawn to create a mystical garden that is composed of natural decorative elements, like rocks, some pebbles, and an old tree stump. We planted native plants and even set up a vegetable produce area, a herb patch and laid mulch all around the plants to retain the moisture.
After bringing these changes, I saw myself more interested and involved in the garden. I saw my kids getting involved in the garden. The process of planting a seed and eagerly waiting for results is more rewarding, and right there creates a fun learning experience. This change also reduced monthly water bills over the years and reduced usage of the electricity and gas consuming gardening tools. From the time we redesigned our yard, between 2020 – 2023 the water usage went down by 36%!
Transform your traditional lawn into a water-efficient, low-maintenance garden, and reduce your water bills by potentially ~ 35%.
Plant native plants, use mulch as cover, and create a space for vegetables and herbs, fostering family involvement and eco-friendly practices!
After these changes I have not seen the need for weeding, there has been much less water consumption, no additional compost etc. The only task is to refresh soil once a year for the produce patch… and that’s it!
Some of the things you could consider instead of a traditional lawn is an alternative low-maintenance ground cover perennial that is drought tolerant for instance ‘Dymondia‘. It is a slow spreading ground cover, something we considered ourselves, but later we found that it takes a long time to grow, and I personally thought it did not look so vibrant. But it is great for someone who cares about having real ground cover plants and does not care about having a traditional lawn.
I am a parent of two, who likes to think two steps ahead with regard to saving any form of resources that might help the ecosystem in the long run, while also reducing our household expenses. The inconveniences of droughts drove me into designing a low maintenance yard. Now, I have a garden that has a mix of flowering plants and vegetable/ herb garden as seasons change. We enjoy seasonal fruit with family and friends and make our get-togethers even more special.
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