Southern California has had issues over the past few years regarding available water. Droughts are caused by a number of elements intersecting at the same time, namely the lack of rainfall during the rainy season and elevated temperatures in the summer. Our hot seasons have been getting progressively hotter, and are showing no signs of alleviating any time soon. At the same time, our last few years have not shown adequate levels of rainfall to compensate for the dwindling reserves, and as a result most areas have enacted watering restrictions with regard to landscaping. Basically, you have not been able to water your lawn enough to keep it green for the last few years, and this year is showing no signs of anything different. The real debate isn’t over water conservation, because you must participate in the effort or possibly be in violation of the law. The debate is over if you are going to put money into reseeding or replacing your existing lawn when it will probably just die again in a month or so. Are you going to waste your money chasing ideas that have proven to be bad, or are you going to allocate that money towards a beautiful new landscape that is more appropriate?
There are many different styles of water smart landscaping, all of which are beautiful. Desert landscaping utilizes elements that are found in the desert, arranged in a way that creates dramatic level differences and lighting without using much water to keep any living plants alive. The use of desert plants like cacti is common in this style. Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping that uses no water at all, instead relying upon walls, pavers and other elements to create a dramatic effect without plants. Lastly, if you absolutely must see green in your yard, or are trying to create a surface that will be more friendly for children and pets to play upon, you can consider artificial turf as the ground covering instead of crushed rock or hard surfaces. Artificial turf is synthetic, and is compromised of plastic grass blades that are adhered to a water permeable backing material. The existing grass and sod is removed and the area is prepared to make it smooth, then the artificial turf is rolled out and staked securely to the ground. All edges are finished off appropriately to prevent separation, and seams are joined. The area is then raked and elements are added to keep the grass blades from lying down or creating wear patterns. Because of the materials that the turf is constructs from, you can expect many years or even decades before any wear is noticed, essentially making it a ground covering that will remain in pristine condition for far longer than any grass yard. You will never need to water it or mow it, saving money every month that would be spent on these services. Best of all, it is ecologically friendly and will help you to help the community that you live in, saving water that would be otherwise wasted.
If you are interested in synthetic grass for your home, contact us today for a free estimate on installation.
