Jonathan Schmidt, Assistant General Manager of Myoma Dunes Water Company, shares his search for a water-efficient alternative to traditional turf.

At my home in La Quinta, I have about 500 square feet of yard where I want something green and soft on the eye and soft underfoot. A small patch where the yard feels alive to break up the harsher concrete and dirt areas without the demand of feeding a conventional lawn through another desert summer.

This has led me to investigate Kurapia. A groundcover suited to USDA Zone 7b and warmer, it grows low, it loves heat and handles foot traffic better than most would expect. It is available as sod or plugs and can be planted during warm or cool seasons. Once established, it requires less water and mowing than traditional turf. For my footprint, that may mean as little as 1 CCF per month and one monthly mow once established. Another nice benefit is that it flowers and provides forage for pollinators, attracting bees to help my (and my neighborhood’s) gardens.

There are a few other choices I found in my search. UC Verde buffalograss gives the look and feel of a more traditional lawn, with the tradeoff of turning brown during winter dormancy. Dymondia was another groundcover I found that forms a silvery-green carpet for less travelled areas. Dwarf Carpet of Stars was yet another option that flowers and has little need for mowing. I am eager to give Kurapia its shot at bringing my outdoor space to its full potential.

Given our local constraints of heat, drainage and intended use, the answer does not have to be all grass or all gravel. We can keep a modest green space where its anchor plants stretch every drop we give them, preserve the trees that give us shade, and let the well-known desert-adapted plants have their place in the sun.

If you are considering a project this planting season, please consider sharing your story and photos with us! And for those that would rather admire the works of others, please mark your calendar for the 2026 Desert Horticultural Annual Garden Day on Saturday, November 14, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CV Water Counts is expected to be among the exhibitors. We hope to see you there!

Myoma Dunes Mutual Water Company

Visit us online at MyomaWater.com, email us at info@myomawater.com, or give us a call at (760) 772-1967.