The cost of lawn maintenance in Covenant homes isn’t cheap, since it includes fuel for power mowers, toxic emissions, fertilizers, pesticides and water consumption. Homeowners can save their energy and time by hiring a lawn care service. However, the ecological costs remain.

Drought-Tolerant Lawn

Several types of grasses on the market are drought tolerant. The most popular, the Californian native Carex Pansa, is a good lawn-alternative in Covenant homes. It belongs to the family of sedge best known by the common name sand dune sedge. It is usually found in dunes and other sandy habitat.

Carex pansa is an evergreen, creeping grass that will grow into a natural-looking lawn. It only needs to be mowed about four times a year and will stay green and attractive with only two to four watering sessions per month. After killing or removing your lawn, place plugs in the soil 6 to 12 inches apart. A 100-plug pack is available at some nurseries for about $120.

Take note that the old lawn must be completely killed before the carex pansa or any other native grass alternative is planted. If you want to remove the existing lawn quickly, you can use a contact chemical herbicide such as Roundup. There are non-chemical methods available, such as sheet mulching or soil solarization -covering the lawn with black plastic to kill the lawn with solar heat.

Carex pansa and other native grasses will not likely imitate a manicured lawn in Covenant homes. However, these lawn alternatives can be less maintained.

Strolling Garden

If you want to get rid of a lawn, the best way to go is to transform the space into a strolling garden. A strolling garden has paths that meander among elevated beds. Homeowners can either add flowers or edible plants in the beds or install more durable, easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plants.

The Japanese-style gardening can help you create a space that you can walk through and enjoy. It is more visually attractive than a lawn. And if you have kids, it’s a great way to get them interested in gardening.

The first step to creating a strolling garden is to design one, either on your own or with a professional landscape designer. Enroll in a gardening class, if you want to do it yourself.

Depending on the size of the area, creating a strolling garden can be a valuable investment in Covenant homes. To save on the water bill, select low-water plants so that you won’t end up wasting large amounts of water in your strolling garden.