Apparently, it’s “No Mow May.” Keeping up with these new “official” additions to the yearly calendar is hard. I struggle to remember the usual holidays. Fortunately, No Mow May is a no-brainer for me. Every month is a holiday away from mowing because several years ago, I removed my lawn and replaced it with plants that do not need to be mowed. Better yet, they require less water and fertilizer than grass.
Even with a large drip-irrigated vegetable garden, fruit trees, and a small pond, I use substantially less water than I did when I had a lawn. The year I rid myself of the last of the grass, I sold off my lawnmower and leaf blower. I not only save on my water bill, but also on my electricity bill.
A few other advantages of reducing or eliminating turf and replacing it with water-wise plants: more visiting birds and butterflies; no need for energy-consuming, ozone-producing lawnmowers, edgers, and blowers, and greater curb appeal. Also, since Japanese beetle grubs eat grass roots, I’m no longer feeding the spawn of Hell.
A few of my favorites are larkspur, yucca, blanket flower, sunflower, sea kale, Artemisia, Colorado four o’clock, poppy, potentilla, sage, spirea, salvia, downy serviceberry, cactus, California mallow, honeysuckle, wine cup, and sedum. All of these are perennial or reseeding annual plants.
Don’t take my word for it. Learn more about plants suited to Colorado’s climate by visiting the websites of Colorado State University, the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Water and other city utilities, Oasis West Wash Park, Wild Ones Front Range, Resource Central and the Colorado Native Plant Society.
Additionally, several of these organizations also provide grants to help with the cost of buying new plants. These grants are supported by funds authorized by the General Assembly and requested by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). This year, legislators authorized $1.4 million for urban turf replacement programs. The money does not come from the state’s general fund. Rather, it is generated through severance taxes, sports betting revenue, and interest on CWCB loans.
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Want to keep some lawn but still use less water?
Two decades ago, Resource Central, one of the above-mentioned organizations, launched a Slow the Flow program to provide on-site sprinkler system evaluations to optimize use and reduce waste. Last year, they found that 99% of home sprinkler systems had correctable efficiency issues. Resource Central estimates that by optimizing water use, they have saved more than 200 million gallons of this precious resource over the past 20 years. That’s another way to lower the water bill.
After all, why spend money on water and energy when you don’t have to. There are better uses for that hard-earned income. National Donut Day is just around the corner.
Krista Kafer is a Sunday columnist for The Denver Post.
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