Not every HOA is standing in the way of progress, as this HOA vice president proudly demonstrated with a recent tweet.
Jacob Larsen (@SLCPaladin), a resident of Washington County, Utah, posted on X to commemorate the completion of a xeriscaping project in his neighborhood.
"Last week this was grass," he said on the platform formerly known as Twitter, attaching a photo of the new landscaping. "I'm the VP of the HOA board and we have [been] 'ripping and replacing' grass with low/no water desert landscaping. Washington County water conservancy has some good rebates right now."
Last week this was grass. I'm the VP of the HOA board and we have "ripping and replacing" grass with low/no water desert landscaping. Washington County water conservancy has some good rebates right now.
— Jacob Larsen 🇺🇸 🇩🇰 🇺🇦 (@SLCPaladin) August 28, 2023
Time to lean into the desert and embrace it. Do your part! 💪🇺🇸#utpol pic.twitter.com/eMVRhdeGTN
His photo shows a residential street with several multi-family homes along its side. While there is a small lawn area between the homes for the residents to use, the area along the road has been reimagined with beds of warm-toned gravel alternating with larger stones. Small, drought-resistant plants and young saplings add a pop of green to the scenery, which blends in nicely with the desert landscape visible in the distance.
"Time to lean into the desert and embrace it," Larsen said. "Do your part!"
Xeriscaping is the ideal approach to landscaping in an arid climate. It means using landscaping elements that need little to no added water — like pavement, gravel, drought-resistant plants, and native species — to create a low-maintenance, affordable landscaping design.
Besides saving on your water bills and cutting back on the time you spend mowing and weeding, xeriscaping has lots of benefits.
One benefit is that it helps ensure dwindling water supplies in drought-stricken areas can be used for more important applications than keeping a lawn green. Also, many cities and states offer rebates and incentives for xeriscaping — Utah included.
While Larsen received many supportive comments, there were also naysayers. "Not pretty and it looks like you're creating more heat," said one user.
"There were no trees before, so less heat," Larsen corrected. "This was all pure grass. It's the best we can do on a budget!"
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