Timing Couldn’t Be Better for Water-Wasting Lawns to Wither

Thanks to Preston Lerner for his article on water-wasting lawns that featured the Henderson family of Lawndale for creating a fine example of drought-tolerant native plant landscaping as an appealing and nature-friendly method of water conservation (“Whither the Lawn?” May 4). Getting smart about water consumption now will significantly help reduce the future shock of water shortages in Southern California.

Patrick C. Murphy

San Gabriel

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Although Lerner’s article represented opinions of those who nurture velvet swaths of nonnative green and those who plant native plants, he missed a major point. California natives don’t just eschew pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers and year-round watering; they produce hardly any green waste because they grow slowly, as if in anticipation of a drought.

Catherine M. Scanlon Cowles

Pasadena