Let’s face it.

Front yard lawns are little more than eye candy for most.

They are rarely used for family gatherings, for kids to wrestle on, or to burn by laying down a Slip-n-Slide on a 100-degree day.

And if it is just eye candy, why not drop the milk chocolate Hershey bar to feast on gourmet truffes that — of done right — can fill your yard with a melody of chirps?

At the same time you can reduce water use with a  little help from the City of Manteca’s turf replacement rebate program.

If you need some inspiration, one of the best ways to get some is  via the Manteca Garden Club’s annual tour.

It usually includes examples as well of outdoor living spaces.

 This year’s tour is scheduled for Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Those attending will have a chance to explore five local inspirational gardens.

Proceeds from the 2023 Garden Tour will help in providing scholarships to local high school students, school gardens, and city beautification.

Tickets are $20 each and are available at the following locations:

*Ed’s Rockery, 6000 E. Lathrop Road, Manteca.

*Rainforest Nursery, 1982 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca.

*Manteca Senior Center, 295 Cherry Lane.

*Thompson Building Materials & Nursery, 460 S. Stockton Ave., Ripon.

*Park Greenhouse, 12813 W. Ripon Riad, Ripon.

*Tipton’s Stationery & Gifts, 169 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca.

For more information, log on to www.mantecagardenclub.org/events/.

Turf or lawns are the biggest consumer of water in Manteca.

It is why the city has a rebate program that pays $1 per square foot when a residential grass lawn is replaced with water-efficient landscaping suited to the Manteca area’s semi-arid climate. The program applies to front yards and parkways with the rebate maxing  out at $650.

The commercial rebate offer is capped at $5,000.

Details for the turf replacement rebate program are on the city’s website.

Stringent water rules aren’t going away.

*The Southwest United States — that includes a large swarth  of California — is still in  the middle of a 20-year megadrought. Typically, such megadroughts are punctured by several years of normal or above normal precipitation and then lapse back into drier weather conditions..

*There is a looming state mandate requiring all underground water basins — including those Manteca, Lathrop, and Ripon depend on — must replace the amount of water they take out in a given a year.

*The state is still pursuing increased flows for fish on the Stanislaus, Merced and Tuolumne rivers that would reduce available water in major reservoirs such as New Melones.

*The proposed Delta could create a situation where replacement water to protect the Delta’s ecological system when Sacramento River water is diverted into the tunnel could be taken from watersheds serving the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

*Growth continues to place stress on available water supplies.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com