Is it Time to Dump your Lawn?

For a lot of Southern Californians, 'going green' means having as big a lawn as possible.  In this arid climate, dusty brown is the natural color, and it takes a lot of water to transform that to green. Altogether, outdoor landscaping takes up about a third of the water used by the average family. This has been a year of record low rainfall, and more dry years are projected for the foreseeable future. The Metropolitan Water District has helped to set up the Native Plant Garden Hotline, providing expertise on sustainable gardens and advice on how to remove and replace a lawn.