Can You Xeriscape With Real Grass?

 In Landscape Design Ideas

Xeriscaping is one of the most popular new ways to landscape a Northern California yard. Because of the incredible Sacramento heat, drought tolerant landscaping allows homeowners to decrease both their environmental impact and their maintenance time, as xeriscaped landscapes use less water and require far less work on the part of a homeowner.

But there is often one main downside – most xeriscaping involves no grass, and for many that’s a deal-breaker. The idea of a perfect landscape involves grass and turf, and while there are artificial grass options available, there are many people that will not landscape their yard without real grass. So the question remains, can you xeriscape with real grass?

How to Xeriscape with Real Grass

Luckily, there are ways to xeriscape with real grass, and although all grass needs SOME water, these strategies will have you maintaining a drought tolerant landscape with real grass that should fulfill your landscaping dreams.

  • Drought Tolerant Grass – There actually are some types of grass that are more drought tolerant and maintenance free than traditional turf. These include Bermuda Grass, Buffalo Grass, some Fescues and more. Each of these has their own issues, which is why it’s best to discuss the options with your landscaper, but they are still green grasses that you can use on your drought tolerant landscape.
  • Small Grass Patches – Perhaps you want only traditional turf in your yard. Rather than landscape your entire front and backyard, consider smaller grass patches that require less water and much less maintenance. You can place smaller patches of grass on your landscape in only some parts of your yard, and you’ll get that bright green color on your landscape but have much less grass you need to worry about.
  • More Hardscaping – This is directly related to the idea of smaller patches, but the right hardscape (concrete, paving, etc.) can really help turf stand out while covering land with something that needs very little maintenance. You can make it so the only land that isn’t hardscaped is turf, and simply cover everything in hardscape so that there isn’t much turf to worry about.

Xersicaping is an idea, not a specific set of principles. The idea is, of course, to simply create a landscape that uses less water and requires less upkeep and maintenance. “Less” does not mean zero, and so a little bit of turf or turf that needs less water to survive can still go a long way. You can also consider some type of grass/artificial grass hybrid, so that you have some real turf where you go most and complementary artificial turf for simple decoration.

No matter what you decide there are options available, and it’s just about finding the solutions that work best for you. Contact FiveSTAR Landscape today to discuss your needs even further and start finding solutions that will help you create a xeriscaped, custom landscape.

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