Bocce Ball

A greener choice to the backyard lawn

Abeautiful, lush green lawn has been the standard of perfection for California landscapes in times past. Visions of neighborhood touch football games played on massive green backyards, family picnics, croquet tournaments and just about anything lawn related is part of the California dream. But today’s consumer, especially in drought sensitive Santa Barbara, is considering that it might be “greener” to have less green in their yards.

According to California drought Preparedness, lawn watering accounts for more than half of the water used by most California households. one alternative for today’s homeowner is to replace at least part of the lawn by building a Bocce Ball court or other hardscapes in their gardens to reduce water costs while at the same time maximizing their recreation value.

Bocce Ball is one of the world’s oldest games, played by the egyptians as early as 5,000 BC. It made its way to ancient Greece and eventually Rome, where the rules of the game as we know it today were codified. In fact, Bocce became a favorite sport with rulers and statesmen and was enjoyed by Roman emperors Augustus and Julius Cesar, Astronomer Galileo and even Queen elizabeth I.

Although international regula- tion courts are 91 feet long by 13 feet wide, you can build a court to fit almost any yard. The area needs to be leveled, the frame built (you can use landscape ties) and then filled with 6 inches of crushed stone to ensure proper drainage. The final surface of powdered oyster shell is then applied. Before you install the oyster shell, line the court surface with chicken wire and filter fabric so you won’t have gophers interfering with your Bocce game!

The average 5,000 square foot lawn consumes about 312,000 gallons of water every year at a cost of about $1,664.00. By removing lawn and constructing a Bocce Ball court (at a cost of about $4,500.00) your investment pays for itself in a little less than three years. When you add in the cost of mowing, blowing and fertilizer, it’s less than two!

Although it is recommended to have a Bocce Ball court installed by a licensed professional, there are various resources available if you decide to build it yourself.

—Lisa Cullen

For more information on Bocce Ball construction and pricing options, call CiCileo landsCaPes, inC. at 805967-3939 or visit www.cicileo.com.

lisa Cullen, landscape designer, organic gardener

and co-owner of Montecito Landscape can be reached at 805-969-3984 or montecitolandscape.com.