Central Coast Landscaping
Drought-tolerant landscaping in Los Osos replaces thirsty turf with layered natives, mulch and drip irrigation that stay green on a fraction of the water. Kestrel Landscapes designs the conversion to your site and to the current Cash-for-Grass rebate rules, then handles the paperwork so the rebate actually lands.
The cheapest gallon of water is the one you never have to buy. On the Central Coast — with Golden State Water restrictions, a strained Los Osos groundwater basin and rebates paying real money to pull turf — a drought-tolerant landscape is usually the smartest long-term move a homeowner can make.
Kestrel Landscapes designs and installs xeriscapes that look intentional, not barren: layered native and Mediterranean-adapted plantings, clean mulch and decomposed-granite paths, and boulders or a dry creek bed to give the garden structure year-round. Done right, it uses a fraction of the water and asks far less of you on the weekend.
Homeowners usually reach out when:
A xeriscape is only as good as what's under it. We remove the old turf, correct drainage and compaction, amend the soil where it helps, and sheet-mulch so weeds don't march straight back through your new garden.
We build palettes from California natives and Mediterranean-climate plants that thrive in Los Osos fog, wind and sandy loam — manzanita, ceanothus, sages, grasses, buckwheats and succulents — grouped into hydrozones so each gets only the water it needs.
San Luis Obispo County's turf-replacement rebate pays roughly $1 per square foot up to about $6,000 in the highest-need areas, and cities like Morro Bay run their own programs. We design to the program requirements and help you assemble the paperwork so the rebate actually lands.
We confirm your water goals, measure the turf area, and check which rebate program and amount you qualify for.
The planting plan meets program rules (plant coverage, mulch, efficient irrigation) so nothing disqualifies your rebate.
Turf comes out, soil and drainage are corrected, and we lay mulch to suppress weeds.
We install the palette and convert spray heads to drip on a smart controller.
We set an establishment schedule and hand off the paperwork and before/after photos for your rebate claim.
Get a free on-site assessment and a written scope — Based in Los Osos — most SLO County assessments scheduled within 48 hours.
Conversions are priced by area, plant density and how much soil, drainage and irrigation work the site needs. Rebates can offset a meaningful share of the cost — we factor the current program into your written estimate.
Note: Rebate amounts and rules change — we verify the current program for your address before you sign.
We build conversions to meet the SLO County turf-replacement program (plant coverage, mulch, efficient irrigation) so nothing disqualifies your rebate, and we assemble the before/after documentation.
Natives and Mediterranean plants matched to Los Osos fog, wind and sandy loam — grouped into hydrozones so each gets only the water it needs.
Boulders, decomposed-granite paths and a dry creek bed give a xeriscape year-round structure, so low-water never means barren.
Drought-tolerant, low-maintenance design is the core of what we do, not an add-on to a mow-and-blow service.
In San Luis Obispo County the turf-replacement rebate runs roughly $1 per square foot, up to about $6,000 in the highest groundwater-need areas such as the Nipomo Mesa and Paso basin. Morro Bay runs its own program (around 50¢/sq ft). We confirm the current amount for your address and design to its requirements.
Not the way we do it. Layered natives, grasses and succulents, plus mulch, DG paths, boulders and a dry creek bed, give a xeriscape structure and color across all four seasons — it reads as designed, not neglected.
Lower, not zero. There's no weekly mowing and far less watering, but a new garden still needs establishment care and seasonal pruning and weeding. We'll set a realistic maintenance calendar and can handle it for you.
We design to the program rules and help assemble the before/after photos and documentation. The rebate is paid to you by the water agency, but we make the application straightforward.
Most native and Mediterranean plantings look established within one to two growing seasons, and many fill in faster with the right establishment watering. We plant at sensible sizes and spacing, mulch well, and set an establishment schedule so the garden matures without wasting water — plant too densely for instant impact and you just pay to remove crowding later.
We're based in Los Osos and bring drought-tolerant & xeriscape to homeowners across the Central Coast — the back-bay and coastal towns of Los Osos, Morro Bay and Cayucos, the city of San Luis Obispo, the Five Cities, and the North County wine country around Paso Robles. See the full list of service areas, or tap your town below.
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Put water only where it's needed — and stay inside the watering rules.
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Learn moreFrom the blog
SLO County's cash-for-grass rebate can pay a real chunk of a lawn conversion, but only if you follow the steps in order. Here is how to qualify, apply, and avoid the mistakes that void a claim.
Mar 5, 2026
San Luis Obispo County is really two climates: the cool coastal fog belt and the hot inland valleys. Planting the same palette in both is why gardens struggle. Here are two lists that actually thrive.
Mar 24, 2026
Get a free on-site assessment and a written scope — Based in Los Osos — most SLO County assessments scheduled within 48 hours.
