In Nampa, Idaho, a new city program is helping locals save money and beautify their outdoor spaces.
This initiative, called Nampa in Bloom, offers homeowners up to $5,000 to trade their thirsty grass lawns for beautiful, low-maintenance native landscapes, according to KIVI-TV.
Nampa in Bloom is part of the city's goal to cut down on water while making outdoor maintenance easier and cheaper for residents.
According to Jeff Barnes, the city's director of water resources, the average resident currently uses enough water each year to fill five swimming pools.
To qualify for this rebate, residents must convert at least 500 square feet of lawn into a drought-tolerant yard using native plants and drip irrigation systems.
With the Inflation Reduction Act, homeowners can upgrade their lawns while helping the environment and gain opportunities for savings.
Native landscaping offers several benefits beyond its lower water demands, as it reduces utility bills, saves time on upkeep, and supports local ecosystems by creating welcoming spaces for pollinators.
Jones even shared a personal win: after skipping irrigation system repairs one summer, her deep-rooted native plants needed watering only three times, and still looked great. While this might sound like a major shift, programs like Nampa in Bloom are helping people and other communities learn with confidence.
Cities like Phoenix are coming together to promote the "anti-lawn movement," which encourages growing local plants over turf lawns.
Swapping from traditional lawns to native plants or clover landscaping can lead to significant savings on water and maintenance costs for homeowners.
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If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
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Making it look better 🌱 The project has to be wrapped up and approved by the end of summer, but the city isn't leaving people to figure it out alone.
"We have professionals to help them with a simple design," Barnes told KIVI-TV. "And they have to get the job done this summer, which will help people get the work done and not procrastinate."
Diane Jones, a native plant specialist with 20 years of experience at Draggin Wing Farms, is also helping homeowners navigate the process.
"Grass isn't that easy to grow and make look nice. A lot of these [native] plants tend to be not very demanding," she said.
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