If a yard full of flowers, shrubs and trees has always been appealing, now may be the time to check out the incentives for replacing grass with these kind of plants. Bountiful residents are no longer excluded from participating in the incentive programs offered through Weber Water Conservancy District: The $1.25 per square foot reimbursement for the Flip-Your-Strip program or the $2.50 per square foot offered through the Landscape exchange program. The Bountiful City Council recently changed some codes allowing residents of the city to join 18 other cities in Davis County eligible for the program. West Bountiful is also able to participate. The Landscape rebate can include grass in the park strip and grass in the front or back yards. Grass is the thirstiest plant in the yard and limiting it to a roundish, easy-to-irrigate space in the yard can help conserve water for Utah’s future. The water-wise landscaping they are encouraging is rich in trees, shrubs and flowers that will not only save water, but will look very attractive while cooling the high-desert climate which dominates Davis County.

Susan Ricks, a Bountiful Gardener, had always admired landscapes rich in beauty like those she toured in Washington, D.C., and places close to home. She has created an oasis in her backyard which has very little grass, but places to eat, play and relax amid over a hundred perennial flowers (perennials come back year after year and bloom in specific seasons) and numerous trees. Ricks said, “I love the creative process choosing different heights and bloom times for a pleasing design, and I move things around as needed.” Mowing becomes less of a chore in this type of landscape, replaced with some weeding and trimming of the spent blossoms. The landscape exchange program requires a thick layer of some sort of mulch which keeps weeds down and helps maintain soil moisture. Drip irrigation must also be installed in the area eligible for the program. See details at the Weber Water website weberbasin.com before beginning to remove turf.