Contractor Paints San Jacinto Plaza Lawn Green

Grass isn’t a major part of the new San Jacinto Plaza, but the lawn they did plant sure went from an unsightly brown to an eye-catching green in an astonishingly short amount of time.

It wasn't lawn fairies and it wasn't magic, so how did the Plaza grass go from looking like this on March 17 …

to looking like this in just two weeks?

They painted it. Well, technically it was dyed green.

Here's what Plaza project manager Gilbert Guerrero told me via email after I inquired about the sudden change in color:

“(The) Project Landscaper added a fertilizer dye to the grass. The dye is just a water base color that will disappear with normal watering and mowing.”

Guerrero added that the fertilized dye “will help the new grass get established faster.”

I like the faux-green. It doesn't look so depressing now. Like the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the painted side.