How one conversation about native plants flipped my thinking on lawns

For years I thought a green lawn was just part of a nice home. I’d water it three times a week in the summer, even during drought restrictions here in Austin. Then last month I overheard a guy at the local hardware store telling someone how his native plant garden survived the heatwave without a drop of water. That got me curious, so I looked into it. Turns out, those big monoculture lawns are terrible for pollinators and soak up way more water than a mix of local grasses and flowers. I decided to replace my front strip with buffalo grass and some black-eyed Susans. It cost me $120 in seeds and plants, but I haven't watered it once in six weeks and it looks better than my old lawn did. Has anyone else made a switch like this and seen a difference in your water bill?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_reed25d ago

I mean, is a slightly higher water bill really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things? My lawn stays green with a normal watering schedule and I'm just not convinced swapping to wildflowers is worth the trouble. Feels like people make this into a bigger problem than it actually is.

martinez.kim25d ago

@beth_reed is it really worth all the fuss over a few more dollars on the water bill though?

drew5522d ago

Wait, are you actually saying a "few more dollars" on the water bill is no big deal? @beth_reed I just got my bill last month and it jumped like 40 bucks because I was watering my lawn twice a week. That's not a few dollars, that's basically a whole pizza night I'm missing out on. And if everyone in my neighborhood is doing the same thing, that adds up real fast for the whole town.