Why native grass?
We need to landscape differently in Colorado. Maximizing our communities’ livability and climate resiliency starts with saving water—and native grasses are a low-water alternative to turf grass that mirrors Colorado’s natural grasslands.
Defining your goals
Save Money
Both low-water and low-maintenance, native grasses present a significant opportunity for landscape cost savings.
Most native and water-wise grasses require not only less frequent irrigation, but less frequent mowing and fertilization. To maximize your savings, choose a species known to thrive with low time-and-money investment.
Reduce Water Use
If your primary goal is to use less water in your landscape, review your irrigation system before converting grass to a different species.
How is your irrigation scheduled and managed? Could it be more efficient? Once you’ve addressed those questions, consider planting native grass—which requires 25-75% less water than turf grass (depending on the species).
The ultimate water savings will depend on the future versus current water use. To maximize savings, couple irrigation changes with native grass. Combining both efforts will lead to a healthy and beautiful water wise landscape.
More Resilient Grass
Are you dealing with a struggling or unhealthy lawn? It can be frustrating to water and care for a lawn that’s not doing well despite your best efforts.
Matching a native grass to your property’s site constraints and natural context—including the amount of sun exposure, the elevation, the soil texture, and the presence of pets—will ensure you have the most resilient grass type for your project.
Native grasses can survive irrigation failure, drought, and pauses in maintenance better than turf grasses. They also don’t suffer from winter kill as often since they’re adapted to Colorado’s weather extremes and dry conditions. Resiliency is their super power.
Before you switch to native grass, fix any underlying irrigation problems, assess the site’s limiting factors, and decide what type of maintenance is sustainable.
Maximize Environmental Benefits
If you’re focused on the environment, pay mind to grass species selection, functional landscape design, and maintenance practices that support wildlife lifecycles.
To maximize the benefits of your landscape for insects, birds, and wildlife, choose a mixture of grasses native to your specific area—these will provide the most valuable habitats and food sources.
Ready to plan your project?
While there is no overnight solution for sustainable landscaping, native grasses are one of the best places to start—and we’re here to help you along the way.
Initiate
Choose
Plan
Schedule
Install
Maintain
Explore Past Projects
See how fellow Coloradans—homeowners, HOAs, businesses, and municipalities—are implementing native grasses in their sustainable landscapes.
Wasson Park, Colorado Springs
Learn how Colorado Springs City Parks converted seven acres of Kentucky bluegrass to a native grass mixture with the support of Colorado Springs Utilities. Restoring native grasses in low-use peripheral areas of the park helped reduce water use, lower maintenance costs, and improve the park’s appearance and long-term sustainability.
Aurora Front Lawn Replacement
Read about replacing a turf grass front lawn with a buffalo grass, blue grama, sideoats grama, and wildflower mixture.
Pelican Ridge HOA, Fort Collins
Discover how this homeowners assocation replaced their turf grass with a buffalo grass and blue grama mixture for significant water and maintenance savings.
Upcoming Events
9 am
Jan 22 2025
Native Grass project planning (Virtual Event)
Lance Ackerman, Colorado Springs Utilities
Transforming an urban landscape with native grass takes time and careful planning for success. Learn about a proven project planning framework and timing that can be utilized for HOA boards, municipalities, parks, contractors, etc., to help prepare and plan for a native grass conversion.
9 am
Feb 12 2025
Site SElection for Project Success (Virtual Event)
Catherine Moravec, Colorado Springs Utilities
In this interactive session, we’ll explore the factors that make a site ideal for native grasses, the challenges that certain conditions can pose, and how to determine whether to modify a site or opt for a different type of landscaping. Gain insights from fellow attendees and share your own experiences to enhance everyone’s knowledge.
Get our updates
Stay in the loop on what we’re learning about native grasses and best practices for sustainable landscaping in Colorado.
About us
The Native Grass Working Group is a team of dedicated, cross-industry leaders focused on identifying and educating about low-water, sustainable native grass alternatives for business, municipal, and residential landscapes.