UNDER-PAW PLANTINGS
Replace the lawn with a ground- cover that needs little water and stands up to busy canine feet.
By Johanna Silver
WHEN YOU swap out a lawn for unthirsty plantings, don’t forget your four-legged friends: They’ll still need a place to fetch or sprawl comfortably in the warm sunshine. In the lawn’s place, try Kurapia (Lippia no- diflora), pictured here; it’s a creeper that stays just 1 to 3 inches tall. Once estab- lished, it needs 60 percent less water than traditional lawn grass. In California, Lippia has a reputation as an invasive weed, but this new strain from Japan won’t spread; it’s sterile and has no viable seeds. Delta Bluegrass Company is the first to grow it in sod form. It’s not recommended above elevations of 5,000 feet or in temperatures below 20°. deltabluegrass.com/kurapia.
