Tear Out the Yard

With no rain in sight and temperatures reaching the mid-90's this week, the yard is starting to look a little brown. So I decided that I needed to water the front yard a bit this morning. Keeping it from turning entirely brown at this point has been no small feat, mind you, as we had a pretty dry July. But this brings me to the problem: I hate watering the lawn -- not because it's a hassle or anything like that because the sprinkler does all the work, but because it's a waste of water, and the cycle never ends. To keep the grass green (or somewhat green and alive) it needs water, which we have to provide. This causes the grass to grow, which we then have to cut, which will ultimately need watering again. What is the big deal with grass? Why are all of our yards based upon grass? What if we tore out big portions of our lawns and replaced them with landscaping: the kind that fits your geographical region and lives well on its own? Since our backyard is really small, in time, I see the grass going away and being replaced by native plants that love hot, dry summers.

See this explanation from This Old House.