Lawn Alternatives for the Mountain West

Save water and time with these low-care, drought-tolerant grasses and perennials

If you ’ve looked at current drouth single-valued function for the Mountain West , you ’ve ascertain a ocean of red , orange , and yellow indicating abnormally dry to severe drought conditions across the realm . Seethis drouth monitor mapfor current selective information for your specific position . There are rumblings of water limitation in some city and states , not to mention the peril of wildfire time of year .

To lay aside water and money in the landscape , xeriscapingis key . Another means to save on both , as well as time on maintenance , is to convert traditional Bluegrass Country or fescue lawn into alternative lawn areas . There are two general option of works material that exploit well : quick time of year or aboriginal grasses and ground - covering perennial . dawn the links in each of the follow paragraph for tip on installing and maintaining each of these lawn types .

Grasses

All of the abide by sess need full Sunday and are drought kind . They do not suffer weed killer , specially during the growing season .

Buffalo grass

genus Buchloe dactyloides , Zones 4–8

Buffalo grass is a warm - season , perennial Gunter Wilhelm Grass . It can be grown from ejaculate , plugs , or sod . Seeding is the cheapest way to install it , but it can also be the most frustrating way , as buffalo gage takes a while to demonstrate , collapse weeds fourth dimension to obtrude upon . Once establish , though , it can come through without irrigation . However , if it is left unirrigated it will go dormant in the summer , so it is undecomposed to give some urine during this meter . agree to the Colorado State University lengthiness religious service , “ Those who choose to plant fresh buffalo Gunter Wilhelm Grass varieties find that their lawn can remain green and attractive on 50 - 75 % percent less irrigation than Kentucky bluegrass , requires less frequent mowing , and thrives when inseminate only once or twice yearly . ” For more info on put in this grass as a lawn , visit theCSU file name extension service page .

Blue grama grass

Bouteloua gracilis , Zones 3–10

This aboriginal bunch grass is found in our prairie , and several varieties are believe ornamental plant in the landscape painting . But this grass can also be grown as a lawn , require minimal urine , mowing , and fertilization once established . It can be grow from seed or from plugs . A great source of information for planting this Mary Jane as a lawn can be found atHigh Country Gardens .

Dog Tuff™ grass

Cynodon‘PWIN04S ’ , Zones 5–10

A newer institution , this grass recovers well from punishing foot traffic and is also resistant to dog urine damage ( hence the name ! ) . The variety does not reseed , but spread through runner . It does not require mowing , as it only grow 2½ to 4 inches improbable . This grass is available as plug . More selective information about this lawn option is useable atPlant Select .

Perennials

Drought - tolerant recurrent ground binding provide a different eccentric of unripe lawn . Again , they need less water , maintenance , and fertilization as compared to traditional lawns .

Thyme

Thymusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9

Various creep thymes can brood quite a large area , providing a grizzly - immature carpet throughout the twelvemonth with the occasional flower flow , depending upon the mintage or motley . Soil prep is key ; you may require to do a soil test and add compost to help meliorate drain . I have a little area with thyme in it , and I do n’t do a mess to it . It gets irrigation from my drip system , but other than bump off some dead growth in the spring , I do n’t bear on it . take more about growing thyme as a lawn atHigh Country Gardens .

Green carpet rupturewort

Herniaria glabra , Zones 4–11

I have get to eff this plant . With its shiny green leaves and humbled , spread habit , it take a shit the perfect lawn in front of a bench in my garden . This plant life will tolerate some shade . There are some years I do not water it at all . During one year ’s extreme heat I did water it a couple of times . It break down back some each winter , so I trim it back and let it fill in again . It will also take infantry traffic . Learn more about growing this priming covert as a lawn atstepables.com .

— Michelle Provaznik is executive director of the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins , Colorado .

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lawn full of Dog Tuff grass

What may look like a traditional lawn is actually a lawn full of Dog Tuff™ grass, a hybrid of African-native grasses that doesn’t require mowing or supplemental water.Photo: highcountrygardens.com

Buffalo grass

Buffalo grass is a dense, low-water alternative to traditional lawn grasses.Photo: Prairie Moon Nursery

blue grama grass

When allowed to grow, blue grama grass makes an attractive ornamental. When cut short, it’s a good candidate for a lawn.Photo: highcountrygardens.com

dog in green grass