Drier, warmer climate spurs shift from lawns to low‑water landscaping

LITTLETON, Colo. — As the American West warms and droughts become more frequent, homeowners and landscape professionals say they are increasingly replacing traditional green lawns with low‑water landscaping that uses native and drought‑tolerant plants.

Homeowner Lena Astilli, who lives outside Denver, said she began transforming her yard because she did not want a monoculture of Kentucky bluegrass and wanted plants that support birds and insects while using far less water. “A monoculture of Kentucky bluegrass is not helping anybody,” she said. Her backyard already features goldenrod, sunflowers, rudbeckia and Rocky Mountain bee plant; this summer she began converting her front yard to xeriscaping with plants including bee balm, evening primrose and prairie dropseed.

The trend draws on a long‑standing landscaping practice called xeriscaping, a term Denver Water says it coined in 1981 by combining “landscape” with the Greek word xeros, meaning dry. Xeriscaping emphasizes reduced irrigation through the use of native or drought‑tolerant plants, mulch and other water‑conserving techniques.

The shift responds in part to water realities. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average U.S. family uses about 320 gallons (1,211 liters) of water a day, and nearly a third of that is devoted to outdoor uses. In arid and semi‑arid regions, maintaining lush lawns can place significant strain on potable water supplies, and water utilities and conservation groups say xeriscaping can be one of the most effective ways to curb residential outdoor use.

Mark Richardson, executive director of the Ecological Landscape Alliance, said homeowners often default to lawn because it is an easy, familiar choice, but that habit is increasingly unsustainable in dry climates. “Potable water is going to become harder and harder to come by,” Richardson said. “Lawn reduction is a fantastic way to limit the use of water in the landscape.”

Supporters of lawn reduction also point to ecological benefits beyond water savings. Native plantings provide food and habitat for pollinators and birds, reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers that can wash into rivers, and can increase urban and suburban biodiversity. Haven Kiers, an associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of California‑Davis, said bringing native vegetation into yards creates rest stops and nesting grounds for species that have declined in recent decades.

Changing a yard can be costly and intimidating, and landscape professionals advise homeowners to proceed incrementally. Kiers recommended expanding planting beds, adding shrubs or flowers along walkways, planting shade trees or creating beds under existing trees to break up expanses of lawn. She said tackling the conversion in stages not only spreads costs but also makes the work more manageable.

Landscape designer Eryn Murphy described a range of aesthetic options for drought‑friendly yards, from gravel gardens and lush prairie plantings to crevice gardens and cactus displays. “Really the sky is the limit in terms of your creativity and your aesthetic,” Murphy said. “It’s just about using plants that are supposed to be here.”

Municipalities, water agencies and conservation organizations in several states offer financial incentives and rebates to help homeowners reduce lawn area and install water‑wise landscaping, officials said. Programs vary widely, so landscape advocates advise people to check with local governments, utilities and conservation groups for available support.

Even where water is not yet scarce, proponents argue less lawn use improves environmental outcomes. Richardson said reduced turf can decrease chemical runoff and foster healthier urban ecosystems in the Northeast and Midwest as well as the West. Studies have also found mental and physical health benefits from gardening and time spent around more diverse plantings, Kiers noted.

Homeowners who have converted portions of their yards say they still keep some grass for children and pets while diversifying plantings elsewhere. Astilli, who sought out nurseries that stocked native species, said the transition has attracted birds and pollinators and made her yard more interesting to maintain. She and others involved in conversions said the coming decades of warmer, drier weather are likely to make such choices more common.

Water managers and landscape professionals said the combination of rising water costs, declining lawn performance in hotter, drier conditions and growing awareness of biodiversity declines will push more homeowners to consider alternatives. “Water is going to keep getting more expensive, your lawn is going to stop looking good,” Murphy said. “You’re going to have to open your eyes and say, what could I do that’s different and better?”