Do you want to re-do the yard but your partner doesn’t? Or are you hesitating because you’ve got too much on the plate? Wellll take a second to read this...because maybe the reason you're holding off isn't one that's worth listening too.  

Home Improvement projects are no small feat. They require money, planning, tons of decision making, sometimes infrastructure improvement and then all the cleanup that comes after. BUT fixing up one part of our lives inevitably leads to huge benefits in others. And some fixes have much bigger benefits than others. So while you’re considering what to do with your yard - and whether or not you’re making the right choice for all the trouble it’s going to be - here’s a few worries you can put to ease. 

Top 4 Excuses Not to do your Yard

…and how to get over them

1. It's Too Expensive

People don't blink twice at spending $3,000 on a couch but then groan at the thought of putting that much into their yard. Which is perplexing because landscaping is the highest return-on-investment home renovation you can do. 

So how expensive is a garden reno in comparison to other home reno projects? Well, first of all, shopping preplanned at CWG saves several thousand dollars on custom design. Second of all, spending $5,000 to buy a large plant package, hiring someone local to professionally install it and have your irrigation converted to drip is the same amount you'd spend on: 

• • 6+ Seat Ikea Sectional Sofa (modern style)
  • 36" Frenchdoor Refrigerator (premium brand)
  • Professionally painting 3-4 rooms of your home
  • Replacing your garage door

Do any of the above upgrades significantly lower utility bills, increase home value (as they age!), improve mental wellness and help with environmental repair?

Don't think so. 

It's time to slay your yard colonialism. Everything that touches dirt does not need be dirt cheap. Consider thinking of your plants as a real investment with way more impressive benefits than a fancy-ish sofa. And way more class than a leggy philodendron in your living room. And please, consider thinking of the people who work with and install those plants as real professionals, who often times are giving us a much better deal than we deserve.

2. We Don't Go Outside That Much

Yah, because you don't like your yard!! Want to know what happens when you plant a wild garden you like? You start to lovvve going to check on it. Walk in it. See what bird or butterfly is visiting today. Just breathe. Whatever. This is what people say about their CWG gardens, even just a few months after installing them: 

"This is incredible and even though it's not a big yard I love spending time in it looking at all the plants. Even the smaller plants! The neighbors love it too...it stands out in stark contrast to everyone else's yards. And finally... the butterflies are back." - Folsom, CA - 3 months after planting Mediterranean Magic

"Before the front yard was just kind of a burden. An eyesore that we knew we didn’t want to invest any time in. Now we get a lot of comments from the neighbors. It’s a thing we find ourselves talking about as opposed to something we’re lamenting." - Burbank, CA Royal Californian - 9 months after planting (and 1x week water in summer)

There's a reason you don't go outside. And it's because your yard sucks. It's not your fault, many of our’s do. We're dealing with the catastrophic decimation of millions of acres of landscaping from climatic shifts. Landscaping that's been there for quite a few decades, and even if it’s kind of surviving, it’s just not working for the world we live in anymore. Trust me, when you put in one that does, you will feel it. And it will feel good. Good enough you'll go outside more. A whole lot more. 

3. I've Seen Other People's Native / Drought-tolerant Yards and They Don’t Look Good a lot of the Time

Sure they look good when the poppies bloom but the rest of the year, you know, they’re kind of an eyesore. I do know. So many early (and even current) attempts at native and low-water landscaping are huge failures. Especially the ones done on the cheap with just a few plants and a whole lot of gravel are used. There's a lot of great ideas out there about native and drought-tolerant gardens but not quite as much great practice in designing and creating ones that are good-looking. 

And if it looks like a fenced-off parking lot half the year it's not accomplishing a whole lot is it? Because if it’s barely alive, it’s not serving wildlife, habitat or our very human need for visual engagement either.

 There’s great news though…it doesn’t have to be that way.

By doubling the diversity, mixing in powerhouse perennials and planning for the inevitable seasonal dormancies (hot and cold ones) native and drought-tolerant yards can look great all year. Not sure how to do that? Well we’ve put together a special collection of year-round color yards you can check out if you don’t want to have to worry about it.   

4. I Don't Want to Spend all that Money & then Have Everything Die

Yeah, if you don't prepare your soil properly water-saving plants will die. Especially with the heavy unpredictable rain cycles we have had in the last few years. Drought-tolerant plants need special conditions to thrive that the vast majority of residential soils just don't have. They get sick almost instantly with regular irrigation in hot temperatures. And people think they just need more water and it's a vicious cycle. 

Preparing your soil drainage properly will spare you this worry. No matter the rain or drought mandated watering restrictions. In fact many of our gardens thrive in full sun on 1x weekly watering. Some clay soils are pretty bad and amending them heavily with gravel or fast draining material at a large scale just isn’t an option. But there’s a fast fix if it’s done when your plants are installed. 

Place 2-4” of fast draining material (sharp gravel, crushed lava rock, sand or even bits of broken concrete) into the bottom of your planting holes.

Check out this handy Planting chart > click here

This gives those drainage sensitive plant roots the breathing room they need. Otherwise yeah, you can plan to say goodbye to many of your new plants. Especially if it’s hot and you haven’t amended your soil with trace minerals, compost or other special treats like shell flours either. Check out this article on the benefits of trace amendments here. If you have sandy soils (are within 5 miles of the coast) or are planting on a steep slope this improvement may not be necessary. But it’s always better to be on the safe side. And please, just water less when it’s hot. It’s better for the plants, really.