ST. GEORGE — As the pursuit to replace “lazy lawns” with desert-friendly, water-efficient landscaping continues in Washington County and across the state, a local conservation group has partnered with the county’s leading water agency, home builders and others to showcase homes with water-wise desert gardens in the area.
“I just thought we should have a garden tour,” Karen Goodfellow told St. George News from the backyard of St. George resident Molly Graf’s house, one of many homes being highlighted during the new Parade of Gardens Southern Utah tour set for September.
“We should have a tour that highlights how people can use desert landscape in creative ways,” Goodfellow said, noting how desert landscaping – also known as xeriscape – is one of the cheapest ways to conserve water.
A major goal of the Parade of Gardens Southern Utah aims to show how xeriscaping can be just as aesthetically appealing as other types of landscaping. Goodfellow, who is the water team manager and vice president of Conserve Southwest Utah, took the idea to the Washington County Water Conservancy District earlier this year where Doug Bennett, the district’s conservation manager, offered his support.
“This is ideal when people are sharing their ideas, their knowledge, their exploration and their enthusiasm with their neighbors,” Bennett said.
The Southern Utah Home Builders Association and some area nurseries have also signed on as partners and sponsors of the tour.
“We have collaboration between conservation, nurseries, landscapers, the water district and home builders,” Goodfellow said. “I call that cross-pollination.”
Graf’s and Hoy’s homes are among the 10 homes (as of late June) to be featured in the Parade of Gardens’ inaugural tour. They and others will share their stories of converting to desert gardening, the trial and error they’ve experienced along the way and how much water their projects save.
Graf showed St. George News around the outside of her Entrada home where she has spent the last 15 years learning how to best grow and care for the desert landscaping in her front and backyards.
“Not only do I appreciate it, but the people walking by constantly comment on how lovely it is and how much they enjoy walking by,” she said. “It isn’t just for us; it’s for everyone to enjoy.”
Graf said her desert-friendly landscaping has proved beneficial in controlling hillside erosion on her property following heavy downpours, adding that it has also provided habitat for local desert wildlife.
As for the amount of water she uses, Graf said she uses a drip system. How often during the week that system is used can vary during the summer, she said, noting the system is currently running three times a week in late June.
Bennett previously stated that regular lawns can use up to four times as much water compared to desert garden landscaping.
“We can all get that down to a much smaller water footprint,” he said.
Bennett also mentioned the water district’s Red Hills Desert Garden, which is a demonstration garden highlighting how the many types of water-friendly plants grow in the desert and help save on overall water consumption.
The Red Hills Desert Garden uses less than 10 gallons of water per square foot per year, while an average lawn can consume up to 50 gallons of water per square foot per year.
“It’s a huge difference” Bennett said.
Like Conserve Southwest Utah, the water district has made a push for more water conservation following recent years of severe drought and ongoing dry spells. Helping in this aim has been the district’s Water Efficient Landscape Program that offers a $2 rebate for every square foot of lawn that is removed and replaced with desert landscaping.
The rebate program has proven quite popular in Washington County with the water district seeing around 1.6 million square feet of grass (approximately 28 football fields-worth) replaced since the program’s December 2022 roll out. As of early July, Washington County was leading the state in turf replacement for the year.
Among those who took advantage of the rebate is Joe Hoy, an Ivins resident who is sharing his backyard’s desert landscaping endeavors as a part for the upcoming garden tour.
“It was a great idea,” Hoy said. “I love it. It’s the best thing they do.”
Through his own experimentation of desert landscaping, Hoy said he has found it has “significantly” lowered his family’s water bill as the new landscaping has also proven to be largely self-sufficient.
Bennett praised the initiative of the county’s residents to convert from “lazy lawns” – lawns that exist for no other reason than appearance – to water-wise desert landscaping. He also reiterated his appreciation that the fact the Parade of Gardens will expose more people to successful water-wise projects.
“The reality is a lot of this is being done by members of the community,” he said. “We’re just trying to change the culture of the way people are living in Southern Utah to embrace more of the natural environment.”
The Parade of Gardens Southern Utah runs from Sept. 20-22 and will feature homes in St. George, Washington City, Ivins, Santa Clara, Hurricane and other locations within Washington County.
Early bird tickets are available through the end of July at $15 per person and will go to $20 starting Aug. 1. The tickets are good for all three days of the event. Additional details can be found on the Parade of Desert Gardens Southern Utah website.
