01 · The basics
What Is Xeriscaping? A Beginner's Guide
New to xeriscaping? A plain-English guide to what it is, how it saves water, what it costs, which plants to start with, and how to plan your first low-water bed.
The field guide to low-water yards
Beautiful yards. A fraction of the water.
Practical guides, proven plants, and free tools for a xeriscape that saves water, money, and weekends — wherever you live in the West.
Start with the basicsA Front Range xeriscape by Xeris Landscaping (owned by Xeriscaping.com’s founder)
Start here
New to xeriscaping? Read these three first.
What it is, how a lawn becomes a low-water garden, and the principles that make it work — in about fifteen minutes.
02 · The plan
10 Steps to Xeriscaping Your Yard
A practical, order-of-operations guide to designing and installing a low-water landscape, from the first sketch and rebate application to the final layer of mulch and first-year watering.
03 · The principles
The 7 Principles of Xeriscaping, Explained
Denver Water coined "xeriscape" in 1981, and seven principles still decide whether a low-water landscape thrives or fails. Each one, explained the way it plays out in a real yard.
Find your region
Xeriscaping, city by city
Local plants, soils, water rules and rebates — from the Front Range to the Sonoran Desert.
- Albuquerque
- Austin
- Bend
- Boise
- Colorado Springs
- Dallas–Fort Worth
- Denver
- El Paso
- Fort Collins & Boulder
- Houston
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Phoenix
- Portland
- Reno
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- Santa Fe
- St. George
- the Bay Area
- Tucson
Rebate guides:Lawn Removal Rebates: The National DirectoryCalifornia Turf Replacement Rebates by DistrictColorado Lawn Replacement Rebates (Complete Guide)
From the Plant Finder
Six plants that earn their keep
Tough, beautiful, and happy on a fraction of a lawn’s water once established.
CatmintNepeta × faasseniiZones 3–8 · Low water
Rocky Mountain PenstemonPenstemon strictusZones 4–9 · Very low water
Blue GramaBouteloua gracilisZones 3–10 · Very low water
Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 4–8 · Very low water
Sunset HyssopAgastache rupestrisZones 4–10 · Very low water
Desert WillowChilopsis linearisZones 7–11 · Low water
Latest guides
Fresh from the field guide
Regional Guides
Xeriscaping in the Bay Area: Plants, Rebates & Design for San Francisco, Oakland & San Jose
Bay Area summers are nearly rainless from foggy San Francisco to hot San Jose. California natives, microclimate tips and the lawn rebates from EBMUD, Valley Water and BAWSCA.
Plants
Growing Lavender in a Xeriscape: Types, Hardiness, Drainage and Pruning
English lavender or lavandin? How cold-hardy each one is, why drainage matters more than water, and when to prune so lavender lives for years instead of going woody.
Regional Guides
Xeriscaping in Portland: Drought-Tolerant Plants, Rebates & Design for Wet Winters and Dry Summers
Portland gets 37 inches of rain a year, but barely an inch falls in July and August combined. Plants that handle soggy winters and dry summers, plus Portland's rebates and rules.
How-To Guides
How to Build a Decomposed Granite Path That Stays Firm
A DG path is only as good as its base, edging and compaction. This guide covers the build: depths, slope, lifts, stabilizer, and the mistakes that turn DG into mud or loose marbles.
Regional Guides
Xeriscaping in Houston: Water-Wise Plants, Rebates & Design for the Gulf Coast
Houston gets more than 50 inches of rain a year, then bakes through July and August. Gulf Coast natives, heavy-rain design and the city programs that help you use less water.
Plants
Drought-Tolerant Salvia: 10 Sages That Carry a Xeriscape
Meadow sage for cold winters, autumn sage for heat, and Plant Select's Western hybrids in between: 10 drought-tolerant salvias with zones, sizes, bloom times and pruning advice.
Regional Guides
Xeriscaping in Bend: Plants, Rebates & Design for Central Oregon
Bend gets about 10.6 inches of precipitation and a frost-free season of roughly 105 days. Tough high-desert plants, the city's $3/sq ft turf rebate and fire-smart design.
How-To Guides
HOA Xeriscaping Rules: Your Rights by State and How to Get Approved
Colorado, Texas, Nevada, California and Utah all limit an HOA's power to ban water-wise landscaping. What each law says, what your HOA can still require, and how to get approved.
Regional Guides
Xeriscaping in Santa Fe: Plants, Rebates & Design for the High Desert
At nearly 7,000 feet, Santa Fe gets about 13 inches of precipitation, a short frost-free season and a summer monsoon. Native plants, city water rules and rebates for high-desert yards.
How-To Guides
Artificial Turf Pros and Cons: Heat, PFAS, Rebates and Real Lifespan
Fake grass needs no irrigation, but it can run nearly 40°F hotter than real grass, carries PFAS questions, is shut out of many turf rebates, and ends up in a landfill. We weigh the full trade-off.
Plants
Deer-Resistant Xeriscape Plants: 16 Low-Water Picks Deer Usually Skip
Aromatic, fuzzy, silver and grassy: the drought-tolerant plants deer browse least, ranked with Rutgers deer-damage ratings, plus the popular xeric plants that still get eaten.
Plants
Dry Shade Plants: 14 Drought-Tolerant Picks for Under Trees
Dry shade under trees is the hardest spot in a yard. These 14 groundcovers, perennials and shrubs handle root competition and little water, with zones, sizes and planting tips.
Free download · 48 pages
The Complete Xeriscaping Guide
Everything you need to plan a beautiful yard on a fraction of the water, in one field almanac you can print and mark up.
- The 80 best low-water plants, shrubs and trees, ranked
- Region-by-region playbooks for the West
- A step-by-step plan from lawn to xeriscape
The Dry Garden · every other week
One useful email for your low-water yard
A seasonal task, a plant worth growing, and rebate news from the West. Free, no spam, unsubscribe in one click.