05 May Drought Resistant Lawns You Can’t Resist

I run a lot.  Usually every morning despite incoming rain showers or triple digit temperatures.  While I run I have a lot of time to think, but more importantly observe.  And living in Austin, I get to observe a lot of interesting suburban landscaping.

My own home sits atop a limestone hill.  Nothing survives in the front yard except as food for an overwhelming deer population.  Due to the slope, everything runs off and into the sewers.  I've had a sidewalk that's flooded twice, and standing mud in my backyard.  And last summer, I gave into the city pleadings to conserve water, and now I have more dead grass than living.

Since getting green over my neighbor's greenery isn't really my style, but knowing I had to do SOMETHING, I  decided it might be the time for an education in native flowers and grasses.  And the welcoming wet spring we've had didn't hurt my quest either.

The City Of Austin offers a list of their Go Green Programs with a chart of names and numbers as long as my gardening shovel.

Jessica Wilson jessica.wilson@austintexas.org can start you off with a directory of local landscaping companies that are certified practitioners of eco-friendly landscaping practices. Or get certified yourself!  Jacob Johnson, jacob.johnson@austintexas.gov can give you a free water wise irrigation evaluation system, and Abby Webster, abigail.webster@austintexas.gov is the one to show you how rainwater harvesting can save you money on your water bill and still keep your lawn looking healthy.

I have a pool too.  Keeping it full and clean while conserving water and energy is a worry for me, so I developed a few "water-wise pool" tips.

1. wait until sundown to top off the pool from evaporation

2. add chlorine, shock, and other chemicals only when the pool pump is running to increase efficiency.

3. backwash before adding chemicals so they have time to dissolve before enterring into the sewer system.  Our sewers lead directly into our creeks.

4. Try and run the pump at night during non-peak electricity hours.

As far as my lawn goes this summer, my tall, wispy, billowy, weedy type grasses look pretty cool.  Mixed with wildflowers, the view can't be beat.  Added to it the array of butterflies, and my yard isn't just brown anymore, it's an ecosystem for native organisms, which makes me a proud shade of pink!