Drought Tolerant Yards are Cool

How to turn your grassy lawn into a lush, native landscape

By: Isabella Holmes for The Dirt

More and more, people are learning how to make sprawling suburbs work for biodiversity, not against.

Rapid suburban expansion—adorned with water-loving lawns—is a primary cause of habitat fragmentation and loss in our ecosystems. We’re starting to realize, though, converting lawns into sustainable landscapes that prioritize native, drought tolerant plants can be a beautiful way to make a substantial difference.

Terfgrass now outranks corn in acreage, making it the most common crop in the U.S., according to a study published at UC Davis.

Given how much land in our country—and in Davis—is dedicated to lawns, experts say there is significant potential for increasing biodiversity, restoring habitat, and preserving water that is literally right in our backyard.

Or front yard, if you’re Haven Kiers, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Human Ecology Department at UC Davis.

Kiers has transformed her own Davis front lawn into an impressive biodiverse and native plant-focused landscape. Her colorful, drought tolerant yard has been a point of interest nationwide, even being featured in the Washington Post.

“Drought tolerant gardens are both sustainable and beautiful,” Keirs told The Dirt. Homeowners don’t need to sacrifice aesthetics in order to accommodate sustainability, she said.

“If we took a huge suburban track like Davis and created biodiversity through using native plants, and those plants create good habitat: it’s amazing what the effect could be,” Kiers said.

Prioritizing native plants in your yard ensures the pollinators who rely on them can survive.

“Many native plants only grow here, native pollinators and other life rely on them,” explained Isaac Trejo, Land Stewardship Coordinator at The Domes, a sustainable living cooperative on campus. “For example, the monarch butterfly relies solely on milkweed, a California native plant.”

Native plants are also drought resistant, and well-suited to survive the hot, dry summers of California.

“They’ve been doing it for tens of thousands of years,” Trejo said.

Engaging with gardens and the land around you can have positive impacts on mental health, too, Keirs said, as well as developing community.

“People want to see the stories of their garden and learn about what’s going on,” Kiers said. “It’s something you can really get excited about.”

Keirs hopes the more drought-tolerant and biodiverse gardens there are, gardens that also look good and are fun to engage with, the more this practice will spread.

“This really is something where the individual homeowner can make a difference,” Keirs said. “It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s cool.”

Getting started:

There are many opportunities to get involved with land stewardship in Davis, whether you have a garden or not. From volunteering at the Davis Arboretum to simply “getting outside and getting your hands in the dirt—that’s the best way to perpetuate land stewardship.” said Trejo.
“Go, get outside, get some inspiration.” Kiers said, citing the Arboretum and the courtyard at Hunt Hall—all designed and maintained by UC Davis students—as great starting points.
Revamping your lawn doesn’t have to be overwhelming, Kiers said. “Start bit by bit, carve out little pieces to replace with plants so you can actually begin.”
Learn about the plants near you: “engaging with the garden helps to get others outside and engage with plants as well,” Kiers said.

Resources for California native plants:

BloomCalifornia.org is full of information from The California Native Plant Society .
The Davis Garden Show on KDRT 97.5 is a wealth of information. Archives available online here.
Calscape.org allows your to zoom in on your land and filter by plants that work best.
California Native Plants for the Garden by Carol Bornstein is recommended by experts.

Buying seeds: