Regardless of whether your home is located in a region suffering from drought or too much rain, having a low-water lawn is a smart move for homeowners.

No matter where you live, it makes good economic and environmental sense to use a little water on your outdoor spaces as possible.

If the Grass is Greener on the Other Side, It's Probably Using More Water

The simple fact is that, unless you live in a truly tropical climate of the United States, having a green lawn means watering. And watering lawn grass requires substantial amounts of water.

How much water?

According to the University of California, cool-season grasses require about 40-50 percent more water than trees, shrubs, or groundcovers. 

They go on to explain that,

Replacing a lawn with a mix of trees, shrubs, groundcovers, vines, and herbaceous perennial plants that creates a nearly complete, well-performing plant canopy over the landscape can be expected to have 50% less water demand than a cool-season lawn or at least 30% less than a warm-season lawn.

And, when you consider that an average lawn in the U.S. uses about 70 gallons a day. That adds up to about 25,000 gallons each year going onto the grass. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported,

Some experts estimate that as much as 50 percent of water used for irrigation is wasted due to evaporation, wind, or runoff caused by inefficient irrigation methods and systems.

Swapping out some of your lawn area with "trees, shrubs, groundcovers" and other woody plants can certainly make a difference. However, using landscaping elements to conserve water by reducing water usage is a low-maintenance alternative that also can add huge value to your home.

Creating Walkway Landscapes for Low Water Usage

Walkways, footpaths, garden paths - call them what you like, these hardscape elements and additions can completely transform your outdoor spaces. In addition, by displacing large areas of lawn grass, you can reduce the amount of water needed to keep the remaining grass green and healthy.

Not as extreme of a makeover as a typical xeriscaped yard, with little or no grass and plenty of rock, gravel, and drought-resistant plantings, adding walkways can significantly reduce the grass in your yard. 

And they can significantly increase the resale value of your home.

According to Trulia.com, for every dollar spent on upgrading a backyard or outdoor space, a homeowner can expect to get back anywhere from 60 cents to $2.00 of ROI. With up to 14 percent added to the home’s resale value. That’s nearly $75,000 for a $500,000 home!

While that was said a few years ago, and resale value trends vary from year-to-year, the principle remains. You won't lose value with hardscape additions to your home's outdoor spaces. 

And there are almost endless approaches and design options you can take with your walkway and garden path plans.

Hardscaping is a facet of landscape design that incorporates elements such as gravel paths, stone walkways, bricks, and pavers. 

A definition from The Spruce is helpful here:

The term "hardscape" refers to all of the non-living elements in landscaping, such as a brick patio, a stone wall, or a wooden arbor. It is one of the two major subcategories of landscaping, the other being softscape. Softscape is all of the living and organic elements in a garden or on a lawn, such as trees, flowers, and grass.

And one of the great things about hardscaped foot paths and walkways is that they lends themselves easily to other hardscape features like fountains, planters, and retaining walls.

Less Grass can Mean Greener Grass Using Less Water

For most homes across the United States, experts say only 12 gallons per square foot per year is required to keep the lawn grass lush and healthy.

So a typical backyard with a 20-foot long, two foot wide path installed across the lawn will reduce the area of grass to be watered by a minimum of 480 gallons per year. And the actual number can go way higher as most people tend to overwater. 

And, while that may not seem like a significant amount of water savings, the reality is that this can easily be multiplied times over as you add various hardscape elements and different styles of foot paths, gravel-filled planter spaces and so on. 

The possibilities are almost endless and only limited by your yard space, budget, and energy!

Got Yard Debris? Call Junk King for the Best in Yard Waste Service

After you get through your DIY yard makeover you'll likely end up with mounds of sod, dirt, and various clumps of plants and other organic debris. Not to mention the hard stuff like masonry or concrete rubble, chunks of broken stone or brick, and all the packaging trash.

The good news is that your local Junk King team can provide you with an efficient, safe, affordable, and eco-friendly yard waste removal  service to dispose of your yard waste and other outdoor debris and junk items.

And, if you need our services several times during your backyard renewal project, or just one time once you finish, you can know that our junk hauling professionals will get all the junk and debris out of your way so that you can enjoy your beautiful outdoor space.

We can be at your house or property in mere minutes, so call us today! Our team is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion.

And one of the best things about hiring Junk King is that we recycle as much of the material we pick up as possible. This is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly removal service.

So, give us a call today at 1-888-888-JUNK (5865).