The drought conditions in the US have not improved and water restrictions are looming, which is why having a low water yard is more important than ever.

Oftentimes this means removing some or most of your lawn and existing plants so they can be replaced with hardscape elements and low water grasses and shrubs. And that can mean a large amount of yard waste to get rid of.

Watering Your Yard Regularly is No Longer a Sustainable Practice

The ongoing drought throughout the western United States, combined with periodic dry spells across the country, has put a strain on our domestic water supply. When you consider that the average suburban home uses approximately 100 gallons of water a day for outdoor use, you can see how this adds up.

As the EPA points out, nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for nearly one-third of all residential water use, totaling nearly 9 billion gallons per day.

And though other regions in the nation have or are experiencing dry or near-drought conditions, no where is it as severe as in the states west of the Mississippi, and especially in California. 

The Smithsonian Magazine published an article back in February 2022 and noted that,

The current megadrought in the western United States has broken previous records for the driest 22-year period in the region since the year 800 C.E., a new study published in Nature Climate Change shows.

And the U.S. Drought Monitor website reported recently that, in the first week of April 2022, extreme drought expanded in parts of California, Nevada, and New Mexico while moderate and severe drought expanded across Arizona.

In California, the impacts to agriculture included reduced forage, livestock stress, decreased water allocation, and the selling livestock earlier than normal. In addition, reduced stream flows and declines in satellite-based vegetation health and soil moisture indicators confirmed these reports. 

For many homeowners and others, these conditions serve as an impetus to reconsider how they water their lawns and outdoor plants, and whether they even need lawns at all. 

And water usage can vary greatly depending upon geographic location.

In dry climates such as Southern California or the Southwest, outdoor water use can be as high as 60 percent. And it is estimated that as much as 50 percent of water used for lawns and plants is lost due to evaporation, wind, or excessive runoff caused by inefficient methods and systems.

All of which is why replacing some or even all of your landscaping with low water designs can be a hugely beneficial move.

Low Water Landscape Design Means Less Water Usage All the Time

Wait! Before you start bulldozing your lawn and pouring concrete, you should consider the great options possible with low water landscape designs.

Strictly speaking, landscaping design includes both the organic, or softscape, elements of an outdoor space along with any hardscape, or inorganic, elements that are included. Hardscape is simply a term to describe almost any type of decorative or practical structure in a landscape, from driveways to fences to benches.

Not only are hardscape elements an important part of landscape design for providing definition and a sense of structure to an outdoor space, but it can be a critical part of a drought resistant or low water yard design.

With a well-designed low water usage landscape design installed, an average home can reduce their overall water usage by as much as 50 to 80 gallons per day.  And one study in California estimated that a lawn made up of drought-tolerant grass can reduce water use by at least 25 percent, while converting a lawn area to native plants can save up to 60 percent on water use. 

All of this can add up to more than 20,000 gallons a year per home in water savings - not to mention thousands of dollars in water bills for the homeowners!

And the plethora of designs and design ideas is so vast that it can be overwhelming. But the good news is that, by making the decision to install new landscaping, you can save both money and water in the long run while having stunning and beautiful outdoor spaces around your home.

Oh, The Things You Can Build in Your Yard!

One popular approach is to reduce the overall amount of lawn grass to a fraction of the original by installing "rock garden" type structures through out and gravel or paver stone paths winding through them. 

These stone, gravel, or wood chip covered areas lend themselves well to decorative lighting elements and other yard art items including a seemingly contrary water feature. The beauty of self-enclosed fountain systems is that they typically only lose water through evaporation but can be maintained with infrequent "topping off" with water. 

Decks, patios, pergolas, and gazebos are all popular and functional "hardscape" additions that not only reduce the square footage of lawn grass in a yard but provide great spots for entertaining, relaxing, or simply enhancing both the beauty and the ambiance of an outdoor space. 

It probably goes without saying that some backyard fixtures like above ground pools and hot tubs are not exactly low water elements. Properly covering and maintaining them can reduce water loss, but refilling after periodic cleaning can take quite a bit of water. 

Of course, all your new low water design landscaping work will require the removal of mounds of grass, plants, dirt, and rocks. And there will likely be piles of garbage, trash, and debris from all the packaging, cast offs, and other items used in the process. 

In short, transforming your outdoor spaces will result in large amounts of yard waste that will need to be removed and disposed of. 

And the good news is that you don't have to take care of that part of the job yourself!

Yard Waste Removal by Junk King - Your Green Partner

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, part of our mission 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 property on the way out.

So, are you ready to get rid of your yard waste and debris? 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 yard waste and other debris takes up in our truck, including any household junk items you want to get rid of.

It's fast and easy since all you need do is simply point and we load your waste materials and junk items into our junk removal trucks. And we do it without any hidden fees.

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