Landscaping in Las VegasLandscaping your home in Las Vegas If you feel the only proper yard consists of perfectly trimmed grass stretching to the horizon, this isn't the section for you. Before you go, however, why not take a look at some of the ideas here. 
You can always satisfy you craving for grass the way a neighbor of ours did. He put a small, three hole putting green in his front yard. As you travel around town, you will notice many yards that have no grass. Instead, they will have stone, a variety of plants, including cactus, and look a bit like a desert. The reason for this is to save water. When we first moved to Las Vegas, our sprinklers were set to automatically water what was left of our lawn several times a week. Our water bill ran more than $200 a month. With drought conditions throughout the area right now, the Las Vegas Valley Water District is offering an incentive to convert your home in Las Vegas to "water smart" yards. These are rebates running $2.00 per square foot, up to 1500 square feet, and $1.00 per square foot after that (as of November of 2007). Update as of January 1, 2008: The rebate is now a flat $1.50 per square foot. There are some restrictions for well users, and you must convert at least 400 square feet of land (in most cases). We converted our front yard, and got more than 70% of our costs back. We also dropped our water bill by more than $150.00 per month! Of course, we also shut off the water to the back yard, as would be converting that in the near future. With both yards done, we no longer had the blowing dust problem that high winds create. What dirt there is, exists only under bushes that cover it completely. We have weed block under all our stone, and plants that look lush, but require very little water. Perhaps the best part is I haven't mowed a lawn in years! 
Take a look at Las Vegas Valley Water Authority for more on water smart landscaping. HOA Caution: If you have an HOA, be sure to check with them before making any changes. They can get kind of huffy if you don't (voice of experience speaking).
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