I tore out our front about ten years ago (not that it was very big). The front yard is now a mix of drought tolerant bushes (lavender and some sort of thing that the hummingbirds like) and bushy grasses with gravel & mulch.

We’ve never watered it.

(We also have waist high weeds right now in spots … now that’s something the HOA can get upset about.)

I swear I have to be one of the few people in the United States who thinks lawns are actually kinda ugly. It’s supposed to be this uniform green carpeting but the majority of the time you get uneven, spotted, burnt yellow patches.

Actually, in the Glendale and Orange cases, this would have been fine. They don’t require lawns, just landscaping. And, no, astroturf and wood chips don’t count as landscaping.

This is exactly the sort of thing people should do if they don’t want to have to irrigate their landscaping. (Remember, though, that even drought-tolerant new plantings may need some watering until they get properly established).

Even grass wouldn’t need watering if wasn’t mowed – after all, this area was native grassland before we paved it over.

Of course, if you don’t water or mow, it gets really long and shaggy, and dries out and becomes a fire hazard in the fall. The HOA types don’t really like that, either. :-)

LA MapNerd you are so correct that drought tolerant need water to become established, that is why it is best to plant them at the beginning of our rainy season.