“They may have plants that are already drought tolerant but that they are overwatering,” Mikolajcik said. “If you have a plant that is 5 to 6 years old, it probably doesn’t need water daily or every other day,” he noted. He suggested cutting back the water slowly and monitoring how the plants react. Also, water deeply but less frequently.

Even a regular lawn doesn’t have to be a water hog. “You can get away with watering two or three times a week instead of five to seven days a week,” Mikolajcik said. The lawn may have a little brown on it and not be in prime condition, but it will survive, he said.

And even if a customer does buy a drought tolerant plant, it still needs some water to get it established, Mikolajcik said. “You can’t just think ‘I don’t need to water it.’ The plant will fail.”

Michael Meredith, a sales person at DJ’s Growing Place on Big Ranch Road, said that he’s talked to a number of people who are replacing lawns because of the drought. Meredith said some are taking advantage of the city’s “Cash for Grass” program, where customers are paid $1 per square foot to replace their thirsty lawns with water-efficient landscaping.

The nursery, which grows much of its stock on site, offers a selection of California native and drought tolerant plants.