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04 Services

Desert landscaping and lawn conversions in St. George

Rock mulch, desert plants on drip, and the shade that makes a yard usable in July. I build lawn-to-desert conversions to the water district’s spec so the rebate works, and I keep turf where it earns its place: a strip for the dog, a patch for the kids.

Serving St. George, Washington, Santa Clara, Ivins, Hurricane, La Verkin, Toquerville, Virgin and Mesquite, NV.

Text Zane · (208) 570-8215 Hi Zane, here’s my yard…

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Rock mulch beds with shrubs along a house
Fig. 01 · Rock mulch beds with shrubs along a houseCannon project 001: Side-yard makeover, Washington UT

01 Scope

What’s included.

Every line below is on the written quote, itemized, so you can see what you’re paying for and what you’re not.

  1. Lawn removal and haul-off, after the district’s site visit if you are claiming the rebate
  2. Grading, and a dry creek bed where the storm water needs a path
  3. Drip irrigation on its own valves, with a filter, a pressure regulator and an emitter at every plant
  4. Desert-adapted trees, shrubs and grasses, placed for shade and for how they will look full grown
  5. Rock mulch or bark at depth, with the edges set so it stays in the beds
  6. Flagstone steppers and paths through the planting
  7. Sod or turf where you still want it, sized to the rules your city and the district set

02 How I build it

The order matters more than the material.

Most of the work is under the surface. These are the steps, in the order they happen on your job.

  1. Apply first, if you want the rebate.You apply on the district’s site and wait for its visit before a blade of grass comes out. I can walk you through the form at the estimate visit, but the application is yours and the district decides.
  2. Plan the planting.Enough plants to cover half the area when they are grown, a shade tree or two where the afternoon sun hits, and a drip zone for each kind of plant. This is what the district checks and what makes the yard pleasant.
  3. Take out the lawn and grade.Sod and roots out, the ground shaped so water runs away from the house and into the beds, with a dry creek where the monsoon needs one.
  4. Drip, then plants.Valves, filter, regulator and lines go in first, every emitter tested, then the plants go in at their lines. No plant is left to a spray head.
  5. Mulch and finish.Rock or bark at full depth over the beds, no plastic sheeting under it, edges set, steppers in. Then the district’s final check, if you applied.

Depths, heights and what the city requires vary with the lot. The numbers for your yard are written into the quote, not guessed from a web page.

03 Money

What changes the price.

No price list, because no two yards are the same. These are the things that move the number, so the quote makes sense when you read it.

01

Square footage

The area of lawn coming out sets the haul-off, the rock and the drip. It is also what the rebate is paid on, so the two move together.

02

Plants and their size

A yard planted from small pots costs much less than one planted with mature trees and large shrubs. Small plants in this climate catch up faster than people expect.

03

Rock type and depth

Local gravel is the cheapest. Red rock, basalt and larger cobble cost more by the ton, and the district wants mulch at a real depth, so the volume adds up.

04

The drip conversion

Converting old spray zones to drip can be simple or can mean new valves and a controller. I check the existing system at the visit and quote what it actually needs.

05

Hardscape in the beds

Steppers, a dry creek bed, boulders and edging are the parts that make a converted yard look designed rather than stripped. They are priced by the piece.

04 Lawn-to-desert rebate

The water district pays to take out living lawn.

The Washington County Water Conservancy District runs the Water Efficient Landscape Program. It pays homeowners per square foot of living grass replaced with water-wise landscaping. You apply, the district inspects and decides, and the grass stays in the ground until its site visit is done. I build the conversion to its requirements. I don’t administer the rebate, and whether you qualify is the district’s call, not mine.

Work out your rebateApply at wcwcd.govThe full terms
$2/sq ftBase rebate on living lawn removed
+$1/sq ftSupplement on the first 1,000 sq ft, for projects completed June 9, 2026 to June 1, 2027
+$1/sq ftSanta Clara’s own supplement on the first 500 sq ft
$100/tree“Treebate” for each qualifying shade tree planted
Order of eventsApply online first. The district says it makes contact within 14 business days and visits the yard before anything is removed. Removing grass before that visit forfeits the rebate. You then have 12 months to finish, the district checks the finished yard, a conservation easement is recorded on the property, and payment follows within about 30 days.
Who is eligibleProperties in St. George, Washington, Hurricane, Santa Clara, Ivins, La Verkin, Toquerville, Virgin and unincorporated Washington County. The grass has to be living, and the district sets a minimum area of 300 sq ft and a cap of $100,000 per property per year.
What the yard must have
  • Living plants that will cover at least half the converted area when mature (the district counts a tree as 350 sq ft and a shrub as 35 sq ft).
  • Drip irrigation on its own valves, with a filter, a pressure regulator and low-flow emitters, components left visible for the inspection.
  • At least 2 in of mulch: rock or bark. Ungrouted pavers and flagstone count, and so does permeable artificial turf.
  • No plastic weed barrier under the mulch. New concrete is deducted from the area.
  • Any lawn you keep has to be at least 8 ft wide.
What it costsThe district’s own estimate is that a contractor-built conversion typically runs $4–6 per square foot and that the rebate covers roughly 30–50% of it. Your number depends on the plants, the rock and the drip, which is what the estimate is for.

Terms as of October 2026, read from the district’s pages at wcwcd.gov/welp and wcwcd.gov/welpagreement. They change; the district’s site is the source and the district’s decision is final. Cannon Landscape doesn’t run the program and has no say in who qualifies.

05 Questions

What people ask about desert landscaping and lawn conversions.

Straight answers. If yours isn’t here, text me and ask.

Will my conversion qualify for the water district’s rebate?
It can, but the district decides, not me. The Washington County Water Conservancy District runs the program, and you apply to it directly and get its site visit before any grass is removed. I build the conversion to its published requirements, drip, plant cover and mulch depth included, and I will go through them with you at the estimate.
How much does the water district’s rebate pay?
On the district’s terms as of October 2026: $2 a square foot for qualifying grass converted, plus $1 a square foot on the first 1,000 square feet for projects finished between June 9, 2026 and June 1, 2027. Santa Clara adds $1 a square foot on the first 500, and each qualifying shade tree adds $100. You need at least 300 square feet of living grass, and you apply and get the district’s site visit before any grass comes out. The district sets and changes these terms, so check wcwcd.gov before you plan around a number.
Do I have to take out all of my lawn?
No. Keep a patch that gets used and convert the rest. The district has rules about the size and shape of any lawn that stays, and some cities cap lawn on new homes, so the patch gets designed to those, not guessed at.
Is a desert yard just a field of rock?
Not the way I build it. Rock is the mulch, not the point. The point is the plants, placed so that half the ground is covered when they are grown, with a shade tree where you sit in the evening. A yard that is all rock gets hotter than a lawn ever was.
What do you plant in St. George?
Plants that take the heat and the cold nights here: desert willow, Texas ranger, red yucca, agave, penstemon, salvia, ornamental grasses, and shade trees like mesquite or Chinese pistache where there is room. The exact list depends on your sun, your soil and how much green you want to see.
Does a desert yard really use less water?
Yes, once the plants are established. Drip puts water at the root of each plant instead of spraying a lawn, and desert plants need a fraction of what turf needs through a summer here. New plants need more water the first year, and the controller is set for that and then cut back.
When is the best time to do a conversion?
Fall through spring. New plants settle in before the heat and need less water to do it. Summer conversions are possible with care, but the planting works harder and so does your water bill. If the rebate deadline matters, apply early so the schedule works around the district’s visit.

06 Also

The rest of the yard.

Most jobs are two or three of these together. Each one starts with what goes under it.

01Pavers & patiosPatios, walkways and driveways laid on a compacted base, edged and sanded so they stay flat.02Retaining & block wallsBlock and CMU walls that hold a grade, drain behind the face, and sit on a footing sized for the soil.03Flagstone & hardscapeFlagstone paths and steppers, fire features, and the rock that frames them. Set so nothing rocks underfoot.05Landscape designA plan before anything is poured: layout, grades, drainage, materials and plants, drawn so the quote and the build match.PProjectsReal jobs, with the photos and the scope.

Start with a photo

Send me the yard as it is. I’ll send back what I’d build.

A text with two photos is enough to start. Or take two minutes on the estimate form and I’ll have everything I need before I come out.

Text Zane · (208) 570-8215 Hi Zane, here’s my yard…

Send a photo and what you’re thinking. Zane answers his own phone.

Free estimateCall (208) 570-8215
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