Lawns, Weeds, and Flowers

Gazania and Daffodil in Lawn, © B. Radisavljevic

Since the drought started here in Paso Robles, landscaping has changed radically. Many people have removed their lawns and replaced them with drought-resistant plants surrounded by a bark or gravel mulch. I'd also like to  do that, but so far I can't afford it. Meanwhile, I have a field of green and yellow in front of my house, and once a week it becomes mostly green after the gardener tops of what's left of the grass. I snapped this picture yesterday before he could cut my lawn flowers today.

I only have one gazania in my lawn so far,  and I have no idea how it got there. I have many of them on the borders of my flowerbeds, but they are too far away to have escaped here to the middle of the lawn. I'm very tempted to plant them all over the lawn, since they are very cheerful and need virtually no care. They seem to survive on the water that comes from the sky.

There's no arguing that a gazania is a flower, though some might consider this one a weed simply because of its location. Except for its size, though, why is it considered more of a flower than the dandelion beside it? One can even eat the dandelions, flowers and all. Like the gazanias, the dandelions provide color all year.

Meanwhile, there's no doubt that these daffodils are flowers. We are expecting rain tomorrow, so I decided I'd better put out some organic snail bait tonight to try to save the rest of these and my other daffodils. I use the Garden Safe brand and it has always worked well for me when I remember to  use it in time. The rains caught me off-guard this year.

It's hard to believe that the lamb's ear plants to the right and behind the daffodils all came from one plant a few years ago that multiplied. Maybe I should put some of that where the lawn is.

Snails have attacked these daffodils. © B. Radisavljevic

Do you still have a lawn? If not, what did you put in its place?

Related articles

• Lawn Alternatives - Creeping Thyme
• The Browning of Paso Robles
• Where the Green Lawns Used to be
• My Experience with Teucrium Cossonii aka Fruity Germander

How Well Does a Rock Mulch Work?

Weeds Growing through Rock Mulch

As I was walking around my neighborhood Tuesday, I happened to pass the yard of a neighbor who had replaced his lawn with rocks. I noticed, though, that nature still abhors a vacuum, and it appears his drought resistant plants that will replace the lawn will be weeds. Were they the right weeds, they might actually be pretty until they died in the heat of summer, but these don't have such dramatic flowers as milk thistle and poison hemlock. It appears the only way to remove these would be to spray or to pull.

If one has to pull weeds from a rocky surface, it is very useful to have something to save one's knees. Here's what I chose: I Love My Garden Kneeler. The article will show me using it.

Maybe you would prefer one of these cheaper options. I have tried some of the pads available at Walmart and they just did not offer much knee protection on hard or rocky surfaces. They only lasted a season. If you opt for only a pad, be sure you get a thick one that will protect your knees.

Related articles

• Poison in the Park

My Experience with Teucrium Cossonii aka Fruity Germander

I bought my first and only Fruity Teucrium from Fat Cat Farm (now closed) at its close-out sale in June, 2013. It was in this four-inch pot, and I was told it was drought resistant, low growing, and tolerated poor soil. I had just the spot for it.

I planted it not long after purchase in a pointed side bed in Paso Robles, known for hot dry summers and water rationing during summer. The soil is very poor. It is hard to water that part of the side bed because the sprinklers won't stay within the boundaries of the bed. I wanted to be able water this section as little as possible. That's why I planted tansy, also drought-resistant, on either side of the fruity germander. The bright green tansy is on the very point of the flower bed on either side of the Teucrium Cossonii, which appears gray and purple. It is still small in October, four months after it was planted. Please click this or any photo here to enlarge it.

This is how the fruity germander has spread in a little over two years. This photo was taken near the end of August during a heat wave. This plant does not tolerate much water. It doesn't like wet feet, but will survive some watering in well-drained soil.

This is a close-up of one of the Teucrium Cossonii flowers. The flowers are very small and the entire plant grows low to the ground. I am hoping to divide this plant this fall so that it will eventually cover this end of the flower bed.

This photo was taken at the end of May, 2014.  You can see how the tansy takes over in spring. It gets tall and blooms. Then it dies back in the heat of summer and needs to be cut back. Then the fruity germander steals the show again.

If I had it to do over, I would probably not have planted the tansy so close to the Teucrium Cossonii.


These books will help you select drought-resistant plants and lawn substitutes for your garden.

 Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for all Climates Perennials for the Southwest: Plants That Flourish in Arid Gardens Lawn Gone!: Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard

Related articles

• The Cat and the Catmint
• The Browning of Paso Robles

Where the Green Lawns Used to be

Brown is the New Green for Lawns

Paso Robles, like many other cities in California, is still in the midst of its longest drought in recent history. Because of that, homeowners are encouraged to replace their lawns with drought-resistant landscaping, called xeriscaping.

Brown Lawn in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Even the city itself is no longer irrigating median strips and some parks. Only the baseball diamond gets irrigated at Larry Moore Park. Homeowners deal with this as best they can. Some who can't afford to replace lawns just stop watering them.

Drought-Friendly Xeriscaping in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Many have taken out their lawns and have replaced all or parts of them with drought-friendly substitutes. Here are what some of my neighbors have done.

Drought-Friendly Landscaping in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Do you still have a lawn? If so, is it brown or green? What do you think of xeriscaping?