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Desert Landscaping Grows in the Truckee Meadows

By John Potter

Have you ever considered making the transition from a typical yard to one that uses hardly any water? Homeowners here are doing it, and not just to help fight the drought. It's also about saving a lot of cash.

At Reno’s Signature Landscapes, Steve Fine gives a lot of credit to his customers for doing their part to save water. As he told us, "It is the last finite resource we have in this community."

What Steve does is the most powerful conservation method around. The water you use indoors is treated and recycled…that's not the case with the water you dump on your lawn. Nothing saves more water than getting rid of the traditional green. As he put it, "Landscaping is the single most use of water you're going to have on your water bill every year, whether it’s a residence or commercial property."

The concept of a xeriscape, or desert landscaped lawn is so win-win, a banner number of homeowners are buying into it. Fine told me, "People are ripping out lawns all the way from Verdi to Cold Springs…all the way out to Carson City."

And they're getting a lot of money back: “The typical TMWA bill is $75 to $125. You could knock off 40 bucks easily each month…that's over 500 bucks a year, easily.”

That would also save millions of gallons of water in Reno alone, and the results can be eye catching. Instead of water-sucking grass, there's decomposed granite: “It stays in your property, it doesn't move around with the wind, and it compacts to where you don't have to mess with it for years."

And, you’ll end up with a no-fuss yard. Signature Landscapes president Lebo Newman says, "You don't even have to prune. It’s really easy, really easy. And the lawnmower can stay in the garage…it doesn't have to go to the repair shop. You don't have to get all greasy."

And if enough people get rid of the grass, that’s a powerful effect on lessening the drought. As Newman told us, "It just makes sense. It's the obvious solution to not having much water."

If you'd like to change up your yard, the Truckee Meadows Water Authority offers an interactive "Water Saving Landscape Guide" online. You can click it here:http://www.tmwalandscapeguide.com/landscape_guide/interactive/index.php