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California offers a rebate for homeowners removing turfgrass and replacing them with native or otherwise waterwise plants. If that interests you at all, r/Ceanothus specializes in native California plants.
Getting the rebate is really hard. I have tried twice. I submitted pictures of my lawn taken during the summer when it had patches of brown and got rejected. Not enough grass. In other words, you need a very green, lush lawn to get a removal rebate. And with the parkways, one must follow specific rules. Thanks.
Lippia is the native plant. Kurapia is hybridized from that, but I’ve never been able to figure out if there are any differences. Kurapia can be bought in rolls just like regular turf. They can be quite aggressive so you need to watch them around your borders. I always installed it with steel borders so there was a clear line to cut back to. As noted below, it does attract bees. I think that’s a good thing, but some people don’t. I think it looks best if it’s mowed twice a year. It gets woody if you don’t and starts mounding on itself.
Make sure there’s solid prep work for soil conditioning and proper installation. I’ve seen many people try this and “no mow” mondo grass lawns that end up looking patchy and sick.
A rock ring around the tree to separate it out will help maintenance significantly. I usually space plugs at 12” or if sloped 15”. Seeding micro clover between helps it really appear dense and perennially provides nitrogen for color and growth.
Maybe cut out a few spots to install some cowboy cologne or chaparral broom as good intermediate height anchors. Both can be gorgeous when hand trimmed and don’t need irrigation. Use local quarry rip rap around them to bridge the California-Japanese garden design styles.
You can also mound your excavated native dirt, hold it in with some rip rap, and plant a some Ceanothus in it to give bit of topography and add something with minimal water needs.
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/NoLawns members:
If your question is about white clover or clover lawns, checkout our Ground Covers Wiki page, and FAQ above! Clover is discussed here quite a bit.
If you are in North America, check out these links to learn about native wild flowers! - Wild Ones Garden Designs - NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion - HGNP Container Gardening with Keystones
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California offers a rebate for homeowners removing turfgrass and replacing them with native or otherwise waterwise plants. If that interests you at all, r/Ceanothus specializes in native California plants.
Getting the rebate is really hard. I have tried twice. I submitted pictures of my lawn taken during the summer when it had patches of brown and got rejected. Not enough grass. In other words, you need a very green, lush lawn to get a removal rebate. And with the parkways, one must follow specific rules. Thanks.
When was that? They recently changed the rules to allow dormant grass patches. I applied once and was granted a generous rebate without complication.
Go native
https://www.deltabluegrass.com/sod-products/california-native-sod/
https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-01/az2104-2024.pdf had to look that up. I know it by the name frogfruit and the genus Phyla, but it looks like it also goes by the genus Lippia. If you search this sub or r/ceanothus, try looking up frogfruit
Thank you!
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA (Los Angeles area)
Hot summers, full sun, drought conditions.
We did this and love it. We’re in Burbank and in the spring and summer it blooms little purple flowers and the bees are everywhere. It’s awesome.
Lippia is the native plant. Kurapia is hybridized from that, but I’ve never been able to figure out if there are any differences. Kurapia can be bought in rolls just like regular turf. They can be quite aggressive so you need to watch them around your borders. I always installed it with steel borders so there was a clear line to cut back to. As noted below, it does attract bees. I think that’s a good thing, but some people don’t. I think it looks best if it’s mowed twice a year. It gets woody if you don’t and starts mounding on itself.
Make sure there’s solid prep work for soil conditioning and proper installation. I’ve seen many people try this and “no mow” mondo grass lawns that end up looking patchy and sick.
A rock ring around the tree to separate it out will help maintenance significantly. I usually space plugs at 12” or if sloped 15”. Seeding micro clover between helps it really appear dense and perennially provides nitrogen for color and growth.
Maybe cut out a few spots to install some cowboy cologne or chaparral broom as good intermediate height anchors. Both can be gorgeous when hand trimmed and don’t need irrigation. Use local quarry rip rap around them to bridge the California-Japanese garden design styles.
You can also mound your excavated native dirt, hold it in with some rip rap, and plant a some Ceanothus in it to give bit of topography and add something with minimal water needs.