Many transplants to California from the east coast or center of the country are shocked to find landscaping choices that do not look the same as they had in other areas of the country. People will drive through neighborhoods and see yards that do not have the typical covering of green grass like they are used to, and instead have landscaping that looks more like a desert. Instead of grass covering the ground and the sound of lawnmowers on Sunday mornings, you find many instances of rock or even artificial grass covering the yard, accentuated with pavers, lighting and even plants that people find in the desert like cacti. While most will admit that these choices may be different than they are used to, they will undoubtedly get used to them and even find them appealing and beautiful.
The reasons behind so many residents of California moving towards xeriscaping, desert landscaping and artificial grass is simple, we are in a drought situation and cannot provide the amounts of water that is necessary to keep a landscape lush during the summer heat. Watering restrictions cause your lawn to get dry and brown, and may even cause your plants to die. At the very least, it will cause your landscape to look unhealthy and starved for water. Residents have been under watering restrictions for quite some time, and even though recent rainfall has alleviated the situation a small bit, the question would remain if it is a good idea to attempt to install traditional landscaping just because we have had slightly more rain than we have over the past months. There is absolutely no guarantee that we will not be right back in the same situation come summer, watching our expensive landscaping slowly die.
So what should you do about this drought situation? The best answer is that once you decide that it is time to beautify your yard you should make decisions that plan for both a drought and a non-drought scenario. Your water loving plants cannot survive more than a few weeks if water restrictions are imposed, but a desert landscape can remain beautiful no matter if there is a drought or not. Thinking ahead and considering the situation that California is in, your wisest move is to landscape your yard using elements that do not need water in order to remain beautiful.
But what if I cannot live without that green grass on my lawn? Luckily, artificial grass manufacturers have created products so lifelike that you will probably not notice the difference until you would normally go out to mow the lawn, only then realizing that fake grass remains perfect all the time, never needing mowing, trimming or maintenance live living lawns do. A good installation of synthetic grass will keep your lawn looking like it is perfectly manicured all the time, and you will not have to spend your Sundays caring for it and watering it, instead you can just enjoy it. So way are so many California residents moving towards desert landscaping and synthetic grass? The answer is simple….because they are smart.