so, is this a sincere question or a thinly veiled advertisement?

I live in the desert. I care.

Its a real question! I have plenty of advertisements all over the web. I wanted to reach out and see if its all a hype or do people really care about saving water/money? and If people do care, how much do they really care? Priority 1- 10? 10 being care very deeply.

it's less about the money to me than being sensitive to the spirit of place and water usage in the desert

We are under mandatory drought restrictions from our water company. We water 3 x per week at 5 AM for 45 minutes using automatic drip irrigation. We have a lot of concrete and wooden view decks and our lawn is a putting green made from fake turf.

We cut back on using water any way we can, including doing laundry and running the DW less often.

We are not in a desert here, but in the foothills below a mountain resort and even during the drought we have gotten a share of rain. On those days we turn the automatic drip irrigation off.

I would say that most of the residents on our road do care. In town, not so much. Many down there just let their lawns die and become weedy yards. Mostly Sec 8 rentals there.

I would say 5. I live in Massachusetts, we don't have any drought restrictions and water is affordable in my town. On one hand I care about the environment and conservation for my kids and future grandkids, grass won't grow without water! Properties are very expensive in my region, 400 sq/foot, so I like a green lawn. However I am conscious about how I water my lawn so I don't waste water. Drought landscaping doesn't exactly fit into the general style of my area.

What a waste! Our own lawn naturally goes dormant in the summer, as do most grasses everydangwhere. We NEVER water it and never will. I wish lawns would be replaced with 'natural' things for the zip code. When will we ever learn?!? I hope when the very last drop of available usable water is found, it is given to one who knows how precious it is.

My husband and I care deeply about water conservation and using mostly drought-tolerant plants. I'd like to say our priority is 10, but it's realistically more of an 8. We'll need to have more plants than I would like in order to appease our neighbors. We're surrounded by neighbors who have perfectly weed-free sprawling lawns and varying amounts of other thirsty plants. They water their yards more than twice as much as we do. Unfortunately, our entire property isn't very pretty during the warmer parts of the summer. It's probably the shame of the neighborhood. Our front lawn is not healthy anyway. It's very thirsty, browns easily, is lumpy with rocky under-soil, and is half weeds. I did my best for the first two years to make the best of it as it is, but have been thoroughly convinced this past year that our front yard needs a xeriscape makeover. When I talked about turning most of the front yard into mulch, groundcover, and mostly native plants, my neighbors looked worried, so I realized I must keep some of the lawn that will join one of my neighbors lawns. There's an overgrown circular dirt driveway that is so rocky I can't dig there, so I'll make it a gravel path. The areas under the mature pines and aspens will be mulched. My illustrated dream plan looks very green, but it will still be quite barren below the established trees. It may not be a practical plan and I'm sure it will evolve. I also hope to win the battle against the goat-head weeds this way! The biggest factors for us to accomplish this major project will be the expense (of gravel, pavers, mulch, plants) and our lack of experience in doing this.

"Our own lawn naturally goes dormant in the summer, as do most grasses everydangwhere."

That's not exactly correct. Cool season turf grasses - those that comprise lawns in the more northerly, cold winter areas of the country - DO go dormant in summer. But warm season turf grasses - those that are grown in the more mild winter areas of the southern half of the country - are in active growth mode in summer and go dormant in winter. Not watering these types of grasses in summer doesn't lead to dormancy - it can lead to death.

So should we remove all lawns? Certainly not - lawns have a place in the landscape and in the culture of our country. But maybe we need to think a llttle more carefully about their specific applications and their expanse and what might be acceptable alternatives to reduce the unnecessary acres of heavily irrigated, heavily chemicaled, pristine green lawns. And this is where thoughtful landscape design comes into the picture, whether instituted by the homeowners themselves or through the employment and assistance of a landscape designer.

There was a thread a few days back about sustainable landscape design that really should have generated more discussion than it did as sustainability should be the watchword for any landscape plan, whether dealing with the renovation of an existing garden or the implementation of a brand new garden. One of the key components of a sustainable landscape is that it requires minimal resource inputs - that means limiting the need for required additions of water, fertilizer, pesticides, gasoline and time. And that translates into an increased awareness of drought tolerant, low maintenance landscapes and those that accept, retain and reuse whatever natural rainwater may accumulate.

Do all homeowners care about this? Probably not, but a great many do. Certainly most of my clients express an interest in a desired low maintenance landscape - it is typically at the top of their request list (right after the desired aesthetic appeal) - and drought tolerance is not far behind. Whether one supports the belief in global warming or not, it is patently apparent that weather patterns are changing and weather extremes are becoming the new normal. Excessively cold winters, excessively hot summers, unseasonal high rainfall amounts or a complete lack thereof are all factors we should be aware of and plan for and a sustainable landscape design is the best way to accommodate that.

that looks great cuddlebun

I can't help but not take this post terribly seriously, as water restriction is not the only way one could care about the environment. But, yes, I care.

I'm in the process of completely re-landscaping my 0.7 acre yard (moved in 3 yrs ago) and I like to think I'm reasonably conscious of doing it in an environmentally sound way (organic fertilization and pest control, native or well adapted plants, planting to sustain wildlife and beneficial organisms, composting food and yard waste, etc). But I'm sure there are lots of ways I can improve further. For example, we have a couple of places where the downspout runoff from our large roof is causing erosion of soil and mulch onto the driveway or other areas where we don't want it to go. On the other hand, it's been a dry summer and I've been watering way too much (mostly not-yet-established landscape beds, not the lawn). This thread and that other one on sustainability that gardengal mentioned triggered a lightbulb moment. Why not try to capture the roof runoff in a storage system and use that to water the yard? This will require some serious engineering and won't happen tomorrow, but it's my new long-term plan (in the meantime, I think I know where I can put a rain barrel). Thanks for the inspiration!

"I can't help but not take this post terribly seriously, as water
restriction is not the only way one could care about the environment.
But, yes, I care."

I think any reasonably intelligent person understands that water conservation is not the only way one should be caring for the environment. But this IS a landscape design forum and water-wise planning and planting are certainly major elements in a well-thought out landscape plan, as is low maintenance and the other elements of sustainability. Why not take this seriously? It is an excellent starting point and particularly appropriate to the topic of landscape design.

We are not going to change or restore the environment overnight, if at all, but every journey starts with the first steps and why not start making personal changes close to home, in one's own garden?

Well Said! gardenga148

Gadengal - You're right, this is a gardening/landscape forum and asking about water conservation does go along with that. Perhaps I read into the tone of the original message in a way that you did not and maybe I should have elaborated.

I absolutely agree with your last statement. Hopefully we are all making changes that positively impact the environment. If someone isn't making them in their garden, it doesn't mean they don't care. Anyone concerned about the environment is going to work towards making earth-friendly changes in whatever ways they can. I'm not vegan, but I still care about the environment and still continue changing our lives in a way that hopefully makes a positive impact.

Its all about the positive impact and im glad so many care about our planet!