The State of the Lawn (in my neighborhood)

I took a walk recently to check the status of the lawns in my neighborhood.  Since June, my area has been required to reduce residential water use by 36% in response to California's severe drought.  As they require a lot of water to maintain, especially during our hot, dry summers, lawns are the major target when it comes to meeting that goal.  I began eliminating my own lawn in increments shortly after my husband and I bought our house in December 2010 but I have 2 segments of the lawn left, both slated for removal this fall.

The remaining lawn segment in the front garden, just behind the hedge on one side of our driveway, currently dormant (and ugly)

The swath of half-dead lawn that, for the time being, serves as a pathway through the backyard garden

Walking through the neighborhood, I found some lawns still in relatively pristine condition.

Inexplicably, this includes a small patch of lawn at the entrance to the neighborhood

This homeowner and his next door neighbor had the most pristine lawns in the entire neighborhood - I initially thought they might be synthetic grass

This garden is mostly lawn

This neighbor loves his lawn but I know he's watching his water usage closely

Other homeowners, like us, have allowed their lawns to die back.




Some homeowners are maintaining small lawns, while using more drought-tolerant plants elsewhere in their front yards.

This homeowner has small sections of lawn in between wide planting beds filled with drought-tolerant plants

This homeowner has been replacing thirsty plants with succulents, while allowing the lawn to turn brown

Some homes have been lawn-free (or virtually so) since we've lived in the neighborhood.

I guess lawn could be lurking behind the shrubbery that hides this house but the shady conditions make it unlikely

This huge property spills down into a canyon but most everything at street level behind the gate appears to be concrete

This neighbor replaced a mass of Vinca along the street with more drought-tolerant Dymondia

This terraced garden, still my favorite in the neighborhood, recently changed hands but they retained the former owner's gardener, which I see as a sign of commitment to maintaining the garden.  That's a Leucospermum on the right - the largest one I've ever seen.

This home has lots of palms and plants with a tropical feel

Many of the homes in our neighborhood, like this one, are "flag lots" with only a driveway fronting the street

One home is lawn-free because it's been gutted to make room for a larger house.



And one has a front yard full of dirt because the septic system is undergoing replacement (which is taking a long time).



There are more than 50 homes in the circle that makes up my neighborhood so what I've shown here is only a sample of what's out there but I think it's fairly representative.  I've seen only some of the backyards associated with these homes but enough to conclude that they're a mix too.  It'll be interesting to see whether lawns continue to die off and disappear, or if the expected arrival of El Nino this fall will hold the trend at bay.

I'll leave you with a few of the brighter spots from my neighborhood walk.

There are masses of Agave attenuata throughout the neighborhood - these are 2 of the best ones

I find it comforting that this plant, a form of Borage I believe, is growing wild through cement pavement without any supplemental water whatsoever in this empty lot

Clockwise from top left, plants growing with little or no supplemental water: Lagerstroemia (no ID but mildew-free), Agave (americana?), Bougainvillea, Cassia didymobotrya, Plumbago, and Solanum ratonnetii

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party