By Christina Foust, PhD

Five years ago, we received our first notice of violating the lawn maintenance policy of the Master Community Association (MCA). As someone who had nightmares of getting a green detention slip well past graduating college, I was upset. But I saw my showdown with the rules coming. With news of climate catastrophe growing, I couldn’t abide dumping water on the ground anymore. I bought us another six months with a jug of “patch” grass, but needed to take action so our balding hell strip (or tree lawn, the area between the sidewalk and street) wouldn’t become a true hellscape. As I walk around Central Park, I wonder if this tale is a familiar one?

It is well past time to break an intergenerational blind deference to non-native grass. This landscaping approach—rooted in wealthy landowners from 17th Century Western Europe—takes a lot of work, chemicals, and water to achieve. In fact, Denver Water notes 50 percent of a household’s water goes to outdoor use, as much as all indoor use combined. Ditching the grass now is a great way to save water, while cutting costs and getting creative with new ways of doing things.

Example of a xeriscaped hell strip, or tree lawn, in the Central Park neighborhood. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

Tree lawns are owned by the cities of Denver and Aurora but must be maintained by abutting property owners. If you live in Central Park, the MCA’s policies reinforce that. I reached out to Jack Seward, operations manager for the MCA, who helped us navigate the rules when we upgraded our landscape. He offered some simple reminders.

First, you must use landscaping materials. Barren soil (dirt) and noxious weeds are not landscaping materials. While artificial turf technically qualifies, Seward notes, it sheds microplastics, which are “very difficult to clean, and are just generally bad for the environment.”

Second, Denver has an 8-inch height rule for grasses. If you’re seeding, consider native grasses like blue grama, which require much less water. Seward reminds us, though, that all plants in the tree lawn are ultimately “owned” by the city, so homeowners should avoid planting anything too precious.

Like most homeowners in Central Park, we are responsible for maintaining a small surface area. We decided to do away with turf altogether, starting with the tree lawn. Inspired by xeriscape design, we laid down landscape fabric then cut holes to plant three very affordable salvia plants. We covered the fabric with pink and gray gravel, edging with black lava rock. A couple hundred bucks and a few hours later, we had a tidy little hell strip that complied with MCA rules. We created a decent weed barrier, but inevitably, dandelions and clover return. As Seward reminds us, “xeriscape is not zero maintenance.” I do get tempted to “spray and go,” but have found that manual removal is effective and I feel good knowing our little patch is not only saving thousands of gallons of water but also feeding pollinators.

If I had it to do over again, I would consider using mulch or native ground cover rather than the polyester landscaping fabric and rock as our base. Organic materials will help reduce heat island effects as the climate warms. Denver Water also has incentives for removing turfgrass and joining their Garden in a Box program.

I would love to see your ideas and so would the 17 percent of Central Park United Neighbors survey respondents who are interested in learning more about replacing lawn grass. Share your inspiration when you’re finished and sign up for the Front Porch’s Sustainability Challenge at www.FrontPorchNE.com.

Christina Foust is a professor of Communication Studies at MSU Denver, and co-founder of the Westerly Creek Elementary School Green Team. Email her at cfoust2@msudenver.edu or reach out on Facebook.