When this summer's harsh U.S. drought turned her prized lawn brown, Terri LoPrimo had it painted green, making her suddenly lush-appearing yard the envy of her neighborhood.

The New York resident hired a local entrepreneur to spray the grass with a deep-green organic dye. No watering was needed.

"It looks just like a spring lawn, the way it looks after a rain. It's really gorgeous," said LoPrimo, a 62-year-old retiree.

With two-thirds of the U.S. hit by the worst drought in decades, residents and businesses in normally well-watered areas are catching on to the lawn-painting practice employed for years in the drier West and Southwest.

LoPrimo paid $125 and said it was worth every penny.

Her contractor, Joe Perazzo, said his company has touched up close to 20 lawns this summer, making it his best year to date. He uses a turf dye that he said is commonly used on golf courses and athletic fields.

Perazzo said the dyed lawns will hold their look for a few months.

"It's a night-and-day difference," he said.

Missouri Turf Paint Inc. president Jon Graves said he's seen a slight increase this year in calls from people interested in either greening up residential lawns or wanting to get into the lawn-painting business.

In the frequently parched Phoenix area, Brian Howland said he started Arizona Lawn Painting after the nationwide foreclosure crisis left scores of homes empty and their lawns neglected.

Some customers have been residents fearful that their homeowners' associations will penalize them for letting their lawns fade.

A newer entrant into the lawn-painting business is Tim Birdwell, whose Imperial Painting normally paints homes and commercial properties. But this month, Birdwell painted his own dry lawn.