Creating Practical Turf Areas

Creating Practical Turf Areas covers the reality that you can have a beautiful lawn and be waterwise at the same time.

Veronica x 'Blue Reflection'™
Item # 97395 		Veronica 'Blue Reflection'®
Blue Reflection ® Creeping Speedwell

each $5.49
3 to 6 plants $5.29
7 or more $4.99
Cotula sp. ‘Tiffindell Gold’
Item # 38910 		Cotula sp. ‘Tiffindell Gold’
Creeping Gold Buttons

each $5.99
3 to 6 plants $5.79
7 or more $5.59
  • Topic: Grasses and Lawns
  • Author: By Mary Ann Walz
  • Keywords: Practical Turf Lawns,Grass,, Garden Design Tip #2 -- Creating Practical Turf Areas, Garden Design Tip #2 -- Creating Practical Turf Areas, Annuals, grasses, gardens
  • Date: February 2005

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Who doesn’t like grass? That soft spongy feel as it squishes between bare toes can’t be beat. But in climates where water is becoming ever scarcer can we afford the luxury of a lawn? The answer is an emphatic “yes,” so long as the lawn area is practical.

What is a practical turf area?

Lawns are typically the largest users of water in a landscape. In the waterwise garden this means matching the type of grass to its use and limiting the size of your grass area to what you actually need for recreational purposes or as a part of the overall design. The ‘Low Work and Water’ Fescue grass mix represents the very best in turf-type grasses for high-use play areas and is much more water thrifty than Kentucky Blue Grass. Native grasses are recommended for every other use. Choose a species of native grass that is appropriate for your climate. These native grasses can survive on natural rainfall or small amounts of supplemental irrigation in the heat of summer once it’s established.

Native Grasses

Use native grasses such as Blue Grama and ‘Legacy’ Buffalo Grass to replace thirsty turf-type Kentucky Blue Grass. Both are warm season grasses, greening up in mid- spring and going dormant in late fall. Both are very drought tolerant and have a soft, comfortable-to-walk on blades, needing only several inches of water per month during hot weather. Depending on where you live, there are native grasses just right for your landscape.

Try a Groundcover Lawn

Some “lawn areas” don’t need to have grass at all. They may be carpeted with low-growing groundcovers such as thyme, Veronica or Cotula ‘Tiffindel Gold’. These are great choices for areas that don’t get too much foot traffic. Two of my favorite thymes are pink blooming ‘Pink Chintz’ and ‘Reiter.’ Veronica ‘Heavenly Blue’ or Veronica x ‘Blue Reflection’ are vigorous, colorful groundcover choices with blue flowers.

Whatever you choose for a lawn, just be sure to keep the water needs reasonable by either limiting the size of turf-type lawns or selecting a native grass that will survive easily in your climate.