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Later that summer, he was playing in the British Open at Royal St. George’s when he hit into the thick fescue, that ankle-high grass so familiar to links-style courses.

But if your biggest interest is creating an ornamental lawn that’s a feast for the eyes, then look to the sculptural, undulating bent grasses or fescues.

The good news is there are low-water, lushly green native lawn alternatives to tall fescue, the most popular water-guzzling king of turf grasses.

In Canada, a pasture mix of yarrow, white clover and Rocky Mountain fescue experienced less intense and slower-moving fires than those that burned through nearby grasslands.

Researchers elsewhere have looked at various options for replacing the lawn, including wildflower meadows and prairie-style communities dominated by larger grasses, as well as ground covers such as nonnative white clover and low-mow fescue mixes.