We don't live in such an area (we live in the high desert), but a lot of people around here have lush, green, watered lawns. It's the opposite of the places whe

We don't live in such an area (we live in the high desert), but a lot of people around here have lush, green, watered lawns. It's the opposite of the places where people have to fight encroaching plants. :) About 6 years ago we let our lawn die off (it was at it's EOL anyway; the soil beneath was sand). We replaced part of it with rough pavers spaced 2-3 inches apart and we let the grass and whatever else grow in the spaces, and keep it mowed. It's not as nice as a lawn, but it's greenery. I do have to water it, but it takes a tiny fraction of the amount a lawn would take. The hypothesis is that the pavers prevent evaporation, trapping the moisture in the soil. I was inspired by the hearty, unwanted plants that would always manage to grow between the pavers with zero water.