Is it time to outlaw St. Augustine grass? (Buffalo: to buy, landlord)

[CptnRn]

Zoysia is extremely drought resistant on shady sites and still uses less water. Since we are running out of water, its foolish to keep feeding this water glutton.

[jobert]

One of the reasons (not the only) I wanted to xeriscape my yard is because I'm lazy.. now this drought has finally given me leverage against the HOA. The water will return, but who needs lawns anyways?
Who here has a flat, functional, useable lawn anyways?
I recommend anyone who feels the same way, and is under the thumb of an HOA to take action now. Get the approval now while citing historic drought, then wait till Sept/Oct. to plant when the rains come.

[Schnaiy]

Jobert, do I take that as positive feedback to my post? Replace grass altogether with an attractive alternative. I posted the pic of our red mulched frontyard, we get lots of comments how nice it looks in this drought, and our local city council just banned the use of sprinklers to water gardens and added restrictions on hose watering.

[jobert]

Originally Posted by Schnaiy

Jobert, do I take that as positive feedback to my post? Replace grass altogether with an attractive alternative. I posted the pic of our red mulched frontyard, we get lots of comments how nice it looks in this drought, and our local city council just banned the use of sprinklers to water gardens and added restrictions on hose watering.

Yes. very positive. I have Zoysia in the back, but the developer put St. Augustine up front and didn't give us a choice. I have posted about grass before on numerous occasions in depth. One guy in our neighborhood xeriscaped, and the HOA made him take it out, and he threatened to sue.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Schnaiy

Jobert, do I take that as positive feedback to my post? Replace grass altogether with an attractive alternative. I posted the pic of our red mulched frontyard, we get lots of comments how nice it looks in this drought, and our local city council just banned the use of sprinklers to water gardens and added restrictions on hose watering.

That is absolutely a better alternative, but I do like to see more plants. I'm considering replacing large areas of my lawn with mulch and xeriscape plants, to reduce the mowing and water usage. I found it interesting when I took a vacation to Monterey, California last year few yards had sod. But they still had beautifully landscaped yards. Such as this example:

[Schnaiy]

Beautiful plants in the pic you posted CaptRn...but Agapathas require lots of water and the other bushes look like they need a lot of water too. It is difficult to find a perfect solution to the water shortage and need to conserve yet still have beautifully landscaped gardens. A big challenge here in Lago Vista is the deer - so far, everything I've planted that were supposed to be deer safe were not. They probably are eating more plants they normally would leave alone due to the drought conditions, but our local garden center told me it has a lot to with the fertilised soil which comes with our potted plants. That was their explanation for the deer eating my new lavendar plants I'd planted.

[capcat]

If you haven't already, you might try Plantskydd. We live in town, but have deer problems as well. I say "problems", but I really love having the deer around. Plantskydd is available online and I ordered my last container through Amazon. It's nontoxic and is effective for months, although you have to respray on new growth. It's best to order a smaller container as it only lasts for 3-4 months after opening and it doesn't take much.

[CptnRn]

It is the concept I am promoting not those specific plants. Texas has plenty of drought tolerant native plants that can be used to do something similar. City of Austin - City of Austin - Grow Green

No doubt the deer make it a bigger challange, the planting guides at the website above have a column to indicate with of them are deer resistant.

[kiacook]

How can I tell the difference between St. Augustine and zoysia? They both look the same in the pictures I see online. Anyone have any tips for telling them apart?

[pvaustin]

Originally Posted by kiacook

How can I tell the difference between St. Augustine and zoysia? They both look the same in the pictures I see online. Anyone have any tips for telling them apart?

St Augustine has a rough texture to it and is hard on bare foot. Zoysia on the other hand has a fine texture and soft feel and low growth habit.