Create a drought-tolerant, lawn-free yard

Like many residents in the central San Joaquin Valley this dry year, Lisa and Joseph Libby of Fresno found themselves eyeing their front lawn with disdain.

This spring, they finally made the decision to rip it out — a death sentence only partially inspired by California’s drought.

“Joe hates mowing,” Lisa Libby says with a laugh. “But more than anything, it’s such a waste of water and for us, we don’t have children, we don’t have pets. And I love plants, and grass is kind of boring.”

As the sun’s rays cooked the remnants of their lawn beneath a plastic sheet — what gardeners call “solarization” — Lisa Libby saw an opportunity for education. The master gardener with the UC cooperative extension of Fresno County put a sign out describing why a large, ugly sheet of plastic was parked over their lawn for eight weeks.

Some people stopped to take a look. No one complained.

“It’s really nice how positive the comments from neighbors were,” she says. “Some said, ‘It’s better to do that than have a brown yard,’ and so many people told us, ‘Oh, I’m planning to do that!’”

For those interested in creating a more drought-tolerant landscape, Lisa Libby and others like her are more than willing to offer some advice.

Goodbye, lawn

For many, the first step in creating a more water-wise yard is dealing with that pesky lawn.

A “cool season” grass — a popular type that stays green year-round — can just be dug out. But a warm season grass — which turns brown and goes dormant in the winter, regardless of how much it’s watered — will also need to be solarized or treated with an herbicide. Warm season grasses are tougher and stowaway seeds can sprout even years after a lawn is removed.

The best time to solarize is during the heat of the summer. Water is applied underneath a sheet of plastic that can be purchased at a home improvement store or nursery. The plastic should be secured — rocks or bricks work fine — so the grass can cook somewhere between four and eight weeks, on average, Lisa Libby said.

The Libbys dug out their lawn first and then solarized the ground beneath it to be extra sure it was all dead.

But solarization won’t work in the winter or for heavily shaded sections of lawn, says Leslie Feathers, a water conservation landscape specialist with the city of Fresno.

After removing lawn, enrich the soil with compost or humus, a dark, organic material, Feathers said. Then be sure to mulch, “two to three inches thick to be effective,” with bark, wood chips, pebbles, glass or recycled tire chips. Using a material like bark or wood will keep a yard cooler. Feathers recommends adding a new layer of mulch every two to three years.

The Libbys also added a weed barrier — a permeable cloth aimed at reducing weeds — underneath their mulch. When they plant in the fall, they will cut through the mulch and the cloth to get to the soil below.

Another option: synthetic turf — although, it’s not for everyone, says Terry Broussard, principal of Broussard Associates Landscape Architects who recently landscaped McCaffrey Homes’ new Liberty Square development in northwest Fresno.

For active families who have used a lawn a lot in the past, a synthetic lawn will generate heat and won’t be as comfortable to walk or play on. But for people who mostly admire their yards from a distance, Broussard said a synthetic lawn “can still look great outside with no maintenance.”

Landscaping and watering

For those who choose to remove their lawn, the next step is staring down that new, mulched pad.

For Fresno residents, Feathers and three other landscape specialists provide free consultations (559-621-5480) about watering systems and landscaping at residential, commercial and industrial properties in the city.

Specialists can help identify plants, recommend new plants and locate leaks in drip and sprinkler systems. They also connect residents with rebates from the city for things like lawn removal and installing a rain sensor, which shuts off outdoor watering when significant moisture is detected.

Feathers said “smart timers” — which automatically adjust watering based on moisture in the soil or real-time data from a nearby weather station — may not be worth the cost, or the time, for Fresno residents on a mandatory two-day watering schedule.

Programming these timers can be challenging, she says, and a smart timer could cost $250 compared to a $50 “dumb” timer, per watering station.

For watering plants, as opposed to lawns, choose a drip system over a sprinkler to save more water.

And when planning your new yard, think about things like layering, Broussard said. “In the foreground you could have different textures and smaller plants, and in the background, taller plants and different colors.”

Utilizing smaller spaces, like side yards, can also feel more intimate and require less plants to fill the area — and therefore, less water. Patios can also help fill those spaces and bring the indoors outside, Broussard says.

And having a drought-tolerant yard doesn’t mean you just have to plant a bunch of cactus. Think “more ornamental grasses and crushed rocks and succulents and agave and accents.”

“Those things are becoming the new design trend outside, if you will, and people have warmed up to them,” Broussard says. “They don’t look like a desert. They look very lush and welcoming.”

For more low-cost inspiration, flip through photos of yards in a Sunset magazine or swing by a model home at a development like Liberty Square, which are landscaped with drought-tolerant plants, he says.

Your yard is not going to look that good in the beginning, but don’t be discouraged, says Romy Smit, a master gardener in northeast Fresno who was awarded a Central Valley Friendly Landscaping Award in 2012.

“At first, it doesn’t look that hot,” Smit says of planting her drought-tolerant yard in 2006. “It’s kind of scary.”

She adds, “try to get out of your comfort zone and go to things that are a little more out of the ordinary.”

When planting, make sure to leave proper space between plants, anticipating their full size. Nurseries can help advise, like Intermountain Nursery in Auberry, which specializes in native and drought-tolerant plants suitable for a Mediterranean climate.

Michele LuValle of Squaw Valley, a board member for the local Sequoia Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, says native plants also help local birds, bees and butterflies along with saving you water and maintenance time. A number of California native plant lists are available on the native plant society’s website.

“It’s kind of fruitless to try and grow something from a different area that wants totally different conditions,” LuValle says. “And it’s getting more difficult because everything is magnified now, the dry summers are magnified.”

The best time to plant is in the fall or the spring, LuValle says. Fall planting usually starts in September and can continue as late as November, she says, depending on climate.

Of the yard work that awaits, Feathers adds: Don’t feel like you have to do all of this all at once.

Step by step, you’ll make your way to a better yard.

“Tackle it a section at a time,” Feathers says. “Maybe redo your front flower bed and then maybe six months later, when you’ve saved up some money, do half of the front lawn or a portion of it so it’s not so overwhelming.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 8:43 AM with the headline "Create a drought-tolerant, lawn-free yard."