Last year I had a brilliant thought. Why don't I let my lawn die?

I realized that by trying to keep my lawn alive in the summer I was fighting overwhelming forces of nature like the all-powerful sun and even more powerful weeds. It was a losing proposition. So I stopped the flow of water and let it die.

Success! My lawn gracefully evaporated in the summer heat and then graciously returned six months later when the next rains came.

You could say there is a flaw in this design. By letting my lawn die I'm left with an unusable eyesore for half the year rather than a luscious green play rug. But the truth is, my lawn has always been 80% weeds and many of those weeds turn into thorns and prickly balls of pain. In other words, even when my yard is green it's still not very functional, and it's not even pretty much of the time.

So last year I let the lawn die and I've followed that recipe this summer as well. Green grass, I'll see you next year!