Almost a third of the country is in a drought and heat waves continue.  Not surprisingly, yard waste removal is not likely to be high on anyone's list.

Yet people still have lawns and homeowners still want to keep things looking nice - if they can.

An article in the Smithsonian Magazine from July 28, 2021 reported,

In what is becoming a familiar refrain this summer, a heat wave is settling over the central United States... More than 30 million Americans will fall under some kind of heat-related advisory during the so-called heat dome.

This phenomenon has already wreaked localized environmental, water resources, and energy havoc across much of the Western US.

A heat dome is described by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a climate condition caused by a mass of hot air getting trapped under an atmospheric layer of high-pressure. 

The article goes to note that,

This particular heat dome will bring temperatures that are five to ten degrees Fahrenheit above average to locales ranging from Georgia in the southeast all the way to parts of Montana, according to the Post. A statement from NOAA predicts temperatures above 100 degrees in the Dakotas and Montana and heat of up to 110 degrees in Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

In the meantime, the United States Drought Monitor maintains that 90 percent of the West - California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana - is in drought. The drought monitor notes that conditions are “severe” or “exceptional” in about half of the region.

[Map image courtesy droughtmonitor.unl.edu]

Yet, despite these hardships, many homeowners and others struggle to maintain some passable semblance of a lawn, or look to find attractive alternatives. 

The good news is that there are several ways to resist the impact of drought on your outdoor spaces and minimize potential yard waste in the process.

3 Ways to Save Water While Reducing Yard Waste

A popular residential landscaping trend began to take hold in the 1980s known as xeriscaping.
Homeowners embraced it as a way to create a drought tolerant yard. The word xero means dry in Latin, and the word scape means landscape.

Xeriscaping is a type of landscaping design with an emphasis on the requirements of arid climates.

While there are seven traditional principles, or practices that make up a proper xeriscaping design, we have highlighted three that almost any homeowner can implement to create a residential landscape that is not only drought resistant, but saves water and, by default, can reduce future yard waste.

Reduce the amount of grass or use drought-tolerant grass varieties

Hardscaping, or the use of pavers, concrete, gravel and other non-organic materials in your yard will reduce the overall square footage of lawn grass. In other words, more rock = less grass.

And according to one company's website,

If you’re committed to keeping your classic green lawn, you may want to consider using a grass variety that better tolerates dry climates. After all, a big part of discovering how to create a drought tolerant yard is simply knowing which plants don’t demand as much hydration.

Here are the top three drought-tolerant grass varieties to consider:

• Hybrid Bermuda grass
• Zoysia grass
• Common Bermuda grass

Use more water-efficient plants

According to The Spruce,

In dry regions, such as the southwestern United States, choosing plants for your landscape might seem like a challenge. But there are several trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers that can continue to thrive and look great, even if your area goes through a stretch without rainfall.

Here are some suitable plants that are considered water-efficient:

• Aloe
• Fountain Grass
• Lavender
• Palo Verde trees
• Lilac 
• Trumpet Vines

Use decorative rocks and wood mulch

We mentioned hardscaping and the creative use of hard landscaping materials can add variety to an otherwise bare yard area. Break up your outdoor space with band of decorative gravel or crushed granite, bordered by strips of bark or wood mulch. 

A scattering of large stones or rocks will add visual interest as well as help set off corners or endpoints of a border. 

Call Junk King for Yard Waste Removal - The "Cool" Choice

Junk King provides convenient yard waste removal services for homeowners and renters, as well as efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly junk hauling and large junk removal.

In fact, one of our main goals is to make the whole junk removal process easy for you.

Our courteous and professional junk hauling teams have the resources needed to haul off those large, bulky, and heavy junk items quickly and easily, along with any other junk you need removed. And they can do it all without damaging any part of your home on the way out.

Ready to get rid of your old large junk? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

Our professional and insured junk hauling and disposal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home. And, once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your junk and other debris takes up in our truck, including any other large junk items you want to get rid of.

It's fast and easy - you simply point and we load your waste materials and junk items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

You can make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).