Lawns: Grass isn't always greener

Flickr photo by Robert S. Donovan.

Conventional real estate wisdom puts a lot of faith in curb appeal as an important characteristic of a lovely and desirable home. And a crucial component of that curb appeal is of course the traditional lush lawn in the front yard. Small or large, square or rectangular, flat or hilly, that patch of green grass is the ultimate desire of homebuyers everywhere -- or so goes the usual thinking.

But is the lush lawn now on its way out of style?

There's plenty of evidence in the section of Los Angeles where I live that big green lawns rule. Just drive around the upper reaches of Beverly Hills and you'll see my point. Or better yet, check out the monolithic Mormon temple in West Los Angeles or the sprawling Pepperdine University campus on the coast in Malibu and you'll find two truly spectacular lawns. These perfectly manicured, weed-free stretches of Emerald City green grass are so amazing that it's difficult for me to drive past either of those institutions without feeling at least a little bit of lawn envy.

Few homeowners can compete with such magnificent lawns. Most of us are restricted to small patches of dirt in front of and behind our homes, and we're daunted by the time and money it takes to install and maintain a truly glorious lawn. But many of us still try to do our best and hope our neighbors will be equally as considerate about the state of their own front lawns and the overall curb appeal of their homes.

But now comes the challenge: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) has instituted some onerous restrictions on lawn watering. Sprinklers here can be run for only 15 minutes per zone on Mondays and Thursdays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Any other use is illegal, and all other landscape watering must be done by hand. Frankly, I don't have the time, inclination or patience to stand around with a hose in my hand for half an hour every other afternoon just to keep my lawn green.

The DWP also has announced a lawn removal program that pays homeowners $1 for every square foot of lawn that's ripped out and replaced with plants that don't guzzle water. ...CONTINUED

All rights reserved. This article may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.