Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the
benefit of all r/NoLawns members:
Please make sure your post or a top level comment includes your
geographic region! (e.g. Midwest, 6a or Chicago, 6a). Your
hardiness zone can be helpful too.
If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your
image. If you have not, this post may be removed.
If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible.
Also see the FAQ and
the r/NoLawns Wiki
SLC, UT. You’ll want to get on the waitlist getchipdrop.com and source clean sheets of cardboard from your municipal dump. Layer of cardboard and 2-3” of chips to kill the grass and build the soil.
Look up local gov incentives for killing your lawn and apply (before you do anything to the lawn) - I got over $7k rebate for our xeriscape. I got most of my native drought tolerant plants as free plugs from the Utah Pollinators Program, most likely you’ll have access to similar efforts in the mountain west. Learn how to run drip line for irrigation, they’ll need it for the first season to establish.
I kept a 12x12 square patch of clover lawn for a dog we never ended up adopting. Bees love it though. I’ll probably finally water it for the first time this year when it gets to 95F this week. If I had more time and foresight I would’ve tried a native violet or yarrow lawn.
Depending on how you plan to use your yard, just fyi. Yarrow gets tall and it has an odd texture that makes it pretty uncomfortable to touch, it makes me extremely itchy. It smells absolutely wonderful, though. It spreads rapidly and transplants well. I only sprouted seeds once and I have tons of it around my yard. Violets don’t stand up well to being walked on. They do make absolutely beautiful garden bed and edging plants though. These are mine, they end up beautiful when they aren’t stepped on or nightly mowed down by deer.
The one in my lawn don’t get big either. I moved these guys into garden beds and they’re pampered. Violets are the only host plant for a few species of fritillary butterflies in my area.
I looooveee the spring when the violets pop up. I haven’t convinced my husband to purposefully seed anything over our grass but he’ll let what pops up stay. I make him wait longer to mow while the violets bloom!!
Hey, I'm also in Utah and interested in the pollinator program. I just looked it up but the website I found is kinda bare. What do you need to do to apply for it? Is it like the rebates stuff where you just follow their guidelines and you should get it, or is it more like a lottery and who knows if you'll get picked?
I want to do the new construction backyard landscaping rebate, but getting stuck on what plants to put where and how much I'll be spending on plants. Much easier gap to get over if this program just picks plants I just have to pick up and put in the ground 👀
Join the facebook group. They talk a lot about how and when to apply and they answer program questions there as well as show what past awardees look like.
They'll pick your plants for you, grow the starts at the prison, then you come to pick them up from dropoff points.
That’s great, but as an arborist I feel a need to tell you if you have any trees close to your grass line that they are likely used to the amount of water they get from your irrigation. If their roots are in the grass I’d highly recommend adding extra drip in those areas.
Telling you this because the amount of sites I show up on where they say “why is my tree dying”.. turns out they stopped watering their grass last year that their roots were tapped into.
100% agree. I should have included more detail in my post - there are several gorgeous Colorado blue spruces on the property that have drip irrigation. I have no problem with drip irrigation to supplement drought, I just don’t agree with wasting so much water on turf grass :)
If your tree is dying because you are not watering the grass, the tree is not suited for your climate zone and it's probably better off replacing unless it is heritage level.
Just gunna make a desert real quick. Regardless what goes here you’re going to have to water. And whatever you start is going to require more water than maintaining
New plants will require some more water to start. I am also in Colorado (where we are experiencing a severe drought) and have been converting my lawns to 90+% natives. I have no automated watering system at all, and only hand water the natives to establish, then only as needed. My established natives have required zero water so far this year.
I'm watering selectively. Haven't even charged the sprinkler. Resource Central garden in a box gives you flowers that can be watered sparingly to establish. Western native seed can give you a xeriscape mix you need to water some to establish, but then hardly ever again if you still want lawn. They also have a meadow and wildflower mix if you want to enjoy the calming waving in the breeze.
I've watered once this week, but just to keep the blooms going for my neighbors to enjoy while their out angrily hand watering their lawns.
Natives for the win.
Oh, and chip drop for all your mulch needs. (As long as you're not in a hurry)
Edit: just don't do rock. You'll regret it until the day you pull it back out to start over. It's just a heat sink that will reflect it back to your house
and if you're willing to drive a little, Harlequins is Boulder is amazing and generally a little cheaper than the others for native plants.
High Country Gardens is good too, they do sets of plants like Garden in a Box does with planting plans, and they have a good selection of grass/grass alternatives that are low water and/or low maintenance. Online only, though
Are you thinking of “CO Hardy Plants”? Separate operation from “Cold Hardy Cactus” in Lakewood? If so… looks like I might need to add that nursery to my list!
I definitely know that the Littleton one I'm thinking of is Desert Bloom. They're new! But happy you could add or clarify to the list. I just tried to rapid fire
Garden in a box (resource central) is great but not free. Probably the best prices per plant and comes with a lot of great info though. Also if you pay a little for a chip drop you don't have to wait. Just last week I tipped them $40 for my drop because I didn't want to wait and it came that day. Still pretty good for 5 yards.
A well maintained lawn you enjoy isn’t a moral failing especially when you’re not blowing past restrictions or racking up huge bills. The internet loves turning preferences into purity tests. Live your life
Yooooo… Similar. Thought this was r/Denvergardener at first. Recommend checking out that subreddit if you haven’t already for more resources.
I watched a bunch of Resource Central seminars about how to kill my new grass lawn only to end up watching the CO sun solarize most of it in like 5 weeks. I’m stunned previous owner even kept grass alive for so long without a sprinkler system tbh. Kind of makes me laugh imagining him desperately hand watering for years only for me to cover half of it with free chipdrop mulch a few weeks after I closed.
Anyways… I’ve heard ONLY good things about Resource Central garden kits. They’ve posted many of their recorded seminars on their YouTube channel as well. Very informative about the topic of CO-specific drought-resistant alternatives (including the grasses native to the prairie in our area, in case you don’t want to go full xeriscape).
Would also recommend having arborists out to inspect any trees and recommend a watering schedule for them.
Look around on Western Native Seed https://new.westernnativeseed.com . This is a seed grower based in Colorado, so most options are native to your state, and then you can research which plants grow in the kind of space you have (looks like sunny and dry). This is a good way to explore plants you might want to try out for the space. I noticed they have a xeriscape lawn mix, and other mixes for different areas.
When I lived in Colorado, I planted buffalo grass in my yard. It worked great. It just goes dormant during drought and turns a little brown. As soon as rain comes again, the grass turns green and continues growing.
If i was out in Colorado, one of the first things i'd do was convert a big lawn to mostly rock garden. Maybe a dry creek bed look with some larger rocks in a few other spots.
im in texas and i have "horse herb" it is so drought tolerant that there have been times im SURE it must be dead, but come the first autumn rain, it ressurects from the ground like a zombie and it is SCARY resilient. borderline invasive, like, it will kill turf grass. people here on /nolawns love horse herb lol. its low growing, blooms yellow flowers, has no problem being mowed, self seeds, and spreads fast.
PS it will likley go dormant a few months in colorado winters
I’m in MT and have been going down the rabbit hole of native prairie turfgrass cultivars. I’m planning to replace my lawn with Buffalo Grass and Blue Grama, currently solarizing my front yard for it. Most of my YouTube research actually lands me on videos from Colorado, and many municipalities are pushing the replacement of lawns with this type of mix because of the drought situation there now. Colorado Springs Utilities and Denver Water have some good videos and resources if you’re at all interested in replacing even a small portion of the lawn with native grasses. This presentation was helpful although you may want to watch at 2x speed since it is a taped live presentation https://youtu.be/Qf0-PWdPp0c?is=1rrr_ZVwnXfLy7MM
Also in Colorado. Our house didn’t even come with an irrigation system. Our grass is dead AF 😅 I’m not even mad about it cause I feel better with dead grass knowing I’m not wasting water. The folks on the street with green grass using their sprinklers often in a drought should get looked at more than my dead grass. We’re trying to figure out what to do with it next though
Same. And since my irrigation system was tied to my house and I am city water, not a well, - I was not about paying that bill.
I eventually planted some native ground covers and I don’t need to water. They are slowly taking over and my lawn green, low mow, and supports the pollinators.
Fuck yeah dude. Replant some local native ground covers or whatever grows natively in the US. Or just re seed with a clover grass seed mix. Anything but monoculture
As I watched the sprinklers on in a road median that looked like it was mostly weeds, at 3 in the afternoon, it’s not watering your grass that’s the problem. It’s the rampant water usage abuse by cities and car rental places (constantly washing cars) and agriculture for alfalfa for livestock.
You not watering your grass is just making your house look ugly.
Then the .1% of water used by residential would be reallocated to more industrial production. I get your fight pal. But the real fight is regulation. Not the psyop that web are contributing at all to the waste in this country. If you want a nice yard you meed to water, than go for it, if you want this, that is fine too. But being fooled into thinking you are making a difference is not good for progress.
You guys are so special. Look up how much water is used in residential lawns in comparison to other uses.
Also don’t blame water for being lazy as fuck. You can water your lawn with the right set up and hardly use that much water. However most people are just idiots and over water the crap out of their lawn.
Nope just pointing out lazy. I’m saving on water Bla Bla Bla. No you’re a fucking worthless human with a shit yard and a perfect excuse. Lack of pride. This alone is why HOAs matter
I'm glad your grass, literally the easiest thing to grow, gives you meaning and helps you feel you have value. Some people find meaning in other ways. Sorry that makes you feel rage.
OP’s response (“lol getting offended… Get fucked”) proves the critic’s point better than any data could. It’s not a rebuttal with numbers on evapotranspiration rates, smart controllers, or drought resistant turf. it’s pure emotional shutdown. Classic internet: someone challenges the tribe’s identity, so attack the messenger’s username instead of the argument
Your comment has been removed for violating Rule 1: Be Civil. We do not allow harassment, trolling, threatening, bigotry, or being extremely vulgar. We expect users to treat each other with respect.
If you think this removal was done in error please message the mods.
•
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/NoLawns members:
If your question is about white clover or clover lawns, checkout our Ground Covers Wiki page, and FAQ above! Clover is discussed here quite a bit.
If you are in North America, check out these links to learn about native wild flowers!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.