6 Low Water Ideas For Your New Lawn

When putting in a new lawn with new landscaping, one thing to consider is how much water your yard will require. With the global water shortage affecting roughly two-thirds of the world's population, many people are looking for ways to use less water in order to do their part. In addition, planting a lawn and adding landscaping requiring large amounts of water can quickly equate to expensive water bills as well as a ton of time spent watering. Luckily, there are ways to have a beautiful lawn without using a ton of water. Here are six ideas:

Consider Lilyturf

Instead of traditional grass, consider adding a lawn that is made up of lilyturf. This beautiful, grass-like ground cover is soft on bare feet, comes in beautiful shades of blue-green, and is incredibly low maintenance. Lilyturf lawns rarely require mowing, stay green year-round, and are so good at holding onto moisture that as long as you live somewhere with occasional rain you will probably never need to water your lawn.

Add Succulent Landscaping

Instead of relying solely on shrubs and flowers that need a lot of water, ask your landscaping company to incorporate beautiful succulents. From dainty and colorful "hens and chicks" to large potted agave plants, succulents are uniquely beautiful and require little to no watering. They do best in sunny, dry climates like Colorado, Utah, and Arizona, but a knowledgeable landscaper can usually find appropriate succulent plants for any climate.

Use Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses add texture and movement to your landscaping design, and typically do not require any watering or true maintenance. They also tend to be quite hardy, looking great year-round even in harsh weather conditions.

Add a Concrete or Flagstone Patio

By making a section of your yard into a concrete or flagstone patio, you will eliminate that section from being planted with grass, cutting down significantly on your overall watering needs. In addition, you will probably find that by adding an outdoor patio complete with a table, chairs, and perhaps an umbrella and twinkle lights, you will be creating an additional living space that makes your home feel larger than it is. A patio can improve your family's quality of life while saving you from excessive watering at the same time.

Use Plenty of Mulch

Mulch is a bit of an unsung hero in the world of landscaping. Mulch is attractive to look at, comes in a variety of wood types and colors, and can contribute to your goal of a low-water yard. By adding mulch around plants, the edges of your yard, trees, in your flower beds, etc., you will find that you need to use much less water. This is because mulch does a great job of naturally keeping moisture in the soil instead of evaporating or running off.

Mulch itself never needs to be watered, and the only maintenance you may have to perform is sweeping up a bit of stray mulch that blows out of place during wind storms.

Ask Your Landscaping Company for Xeriscaping Ideas

Xeriscaping means using local, native plants, grasses, shrubs, flowers and trees. The idea behind this type of landscaping is to make use of the flora that already grow easily in your region and climate, because these plants will require much less water, fertilizer, and overall maintenance. It's best to hire a professional landscaping company to analyze your yard, ask you about your preferences, and then design a beautiful xeriscaped yard you will be thrilled with and that will require very little water or work.

By incorporating one or more of these low water landscaping ideas into your yard, you can have a beautiful new lawn without wasting water.