Drought And The Existential Crisis Of The American Lawn

When The Grass Is Never Greener, Is It Time To Ditch The Grass? In Southern California, where green clipped lawns were never a part of the desert landscape before the American craze for idyllic suburban bliss took hold, the historic drought is, for some, the last straw. They're turning to native plants -- cacti and other succulents -- or even rock gardens, an away from clipped lawns. It's an idea that is transforming gardens across America, even if the conditions are not as extreme as in California currently. Native plants are adapted to the vagaries of a local climate. That means that, generally, they will be better able to withstand the occasional deluge or dry spell better than a plant imported from some far-off clime. With drought now gripping about one third of the United States in the West and Southeast, and with a wide swath of the space in between swamped by excessive rains, the notion of planting to suit the local environment is getting new life. For tips on keeping your yard green during drought, click here.