Lawn and Lawn Replacement in the Arid West

• Great rip-out-the-lawn makeover in San Diego, here on the Sunset blog.
• Emily Green in the LA Times says "When it comes to lawn, brown is golden" and "Want to save energy?  Start by saving water."  And don't miss her blog Chance of Rain.
• Murder Your Lawn Now is Billy Goodnick's rant against lawn, especially in front yards.  For Fine Gardening he added an overview of better options.
• Also from Billy, I don't hate Scotts, or do I? explains that replacing your traditional lawn doesn't require major surgery.  Just start by introducing low-water using alternatives right into the existing grass.
• And in this article Billy offers has tips on reducing irrigation of lawns by downsizing, replacing with alternatives, replacing with low-water using landscaping or growing food.
• From Bay Area garden designer Susan Morrison, Blue Planet Gardening is an idea center for Western gardeners interested in conserving water and nurturing the planet, including before and after photos.  And there are lots more good ideas Lots of great ideas in her case studies of no-lawn makeovers.
• Does "Cash for Grass" make Sense (or Cents)? by Tom Hawkins. 
• We're told the best resource for S. Californians is a public garden connected with Cuyamaca College - the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon.  They have a display of turf grasses and show how much water each one uses.

Regionally Appropriate Grass Types

• The GrassRoots Program offers advice on climate appropriate grass species, subsurface turf irrigation, and organic lawn care products.  
• All about UC Verde Buffalo Grass, and water restrictions in the state on Shirley Bovshow's blog. She tests UC Verde in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 .  An Arizona family's 3-month experiment in replacing their Bermudagrass with Buffalograss is chronicled here.
• See buffalograss and sedges and other native grasses on the Better Lawn Types page.

Water Conservation

• UC/Davis's Water Conservation and Drought in Lawn Care.
• Wise Water Gardening in Santa Barbara County is a great website.
  [Californians, ditto specific articles on water conservation?)
• Here's the low-down about water conservation rebates in the West.
• Shirley Bovshow in LA has lots about water restrictions in the state.
• "When the well runs dry" by Billy Goodnick makes the case that it's not just in the West anymore.

 

Design Alternatives 

• Susan Morrison's blog has lots of articles in the category "We don't need no stinking lawn," including lots about Buffalo grass, other ground cover substitutes and design alternatives to traditional turf.
• Shirley Bovshow has designed many front yard gardens in Los Angeles that feature low-water plants instead of lawns. For ideas for California yards, check out these projects, plus photos from garden tours she's attended:  Lawn-Less in Los Angeles. And a local low-water garden tour, Part 1 and Part 2.
• Don't miss Shirley's front-yard makeover - lawn to low-water garden, her "extreme" front lawn makeover to low-water plants, and another front yard from lawn to edibles.  One more - her Santolina bed at planting and one year later - wow.
• Lauren Springer Ogden, a designer and garden writer in Colorado, authored the terrific The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resistant Beauty.  With Scott Ogden, she also wrote the popular Plant-Driven Design for a Garden that Honors Plants, Place and Spirit.
• Drought-tolerant doesn't have to mean dull in the Los Angeles Times.

Photo by Owen Dell.