The long drought has certainly been a great reminder to homeowners that droughts are cyclical and although we had a terrific winter rainfall, we are not drought-free in the bay area now or in the future.
So what should a concerned lawn owner do? Tired of wasting water and money on a thirsty lawn? You could give it up entirely or reduce it significantly.
Or you can try a lawn alternative. Sunset magazine just ran a great article on Kurapia From Delta Bluegrass, a water-wise flowering sod. It’s great for the SF Bay Area where most parts don’t get colder than 20 degrees in the winter. Also, it has flowers! So pretty to enjoy as a floral meadow but obviously not great for your kids to play on (unless you mow flowers off first since it will attract bees).Sunser-Magazine-Kurapia-Article
While there are other wonderful lawn substitutes like Dymondia margaretae (Silver Carpet) and Chamaemelum nobile (Chamomile), they are not available in sod form, so you don’t get the instant gratification of full coverage, and well worth the price to not have to battle weeds while you wait for plugs or ground flats to fill in.