Living

The Backyard Trend Saving Homeowners Thousands on Water Costs

By Courtney Holden Men's Journal

Updated June 10, 2026 10:30 PM

Tired of spending hours each weekend with your mower, sweating in the heat as you attempt to mimic the perfect checkerboard found on Wrigley Field? Or maybe you live in an area prone to drought-like conditions and know lawn-watering restrictions are imminent. For these reasons and plenty more, it might be time to try the low-water approach to landscaping known as "xeriscaping."

To be clear, we aren't suggesting you rip up your grass and dump a truckload of river rock on what's leftover. That would be zeroscaping–and we don't recommend it. Instead, xeriscaping incorporates native and low-water plants into a landscape design that's eye-catching, not an eyesore. "Many plants that are native or desert-adaptive provide wonderful flower color or deciduous leaf color in the fall," says Wayne T. Salom, principal at JW Zunino & Associates, which provides water-conscious, environmental design for residents, business owners, and public entities in the Las Vegas Valley. "Many cacti/succulent plants have incredible flower color as well."

Here, we present expert-approved steps for xeriscaping, tips for plant selection, and mistakes to avoid as you remove excess green from your yard and put it in your wallet. If you're still new to the xeriscaping concept, turn first to our handy guide to the basics.

How to Start Xeriscaping

The prospect of re-landscaping your yard can be daunting, so just take it step by step. And if you're a beginner-or if you're simply slammed as you juggle soccer practices, ukulele lessons, work deadlines, and 87 other responsibilities-remember that it's OK to start small. "You don't have to organize a full makeover of your yard right away," says Dakota Petersen, who has participated in several landscape restoration projects around Phoenix and Scottsdale and at Cosanti Originals, where he acts as the outreach and development ambassador. "Try rearranging an area that you're not satisfied with and incorporating some xeriscaping techniques."

How to Xeriscape Your Yard, Step by Step

Think about how you plan to use your yard. Will you be hosting backyard gatherings or do you want a secluded oasis? Do you have kids and dogs that require a bit of traditional turf grass, whether real or artificial, or will you be fine with a full xeriscape? How you'll use the space should drive how you xeriscape it.
Gather ideas through different avenues. Wander your neighborhood and make mental notes of what you like and don't like. Visit your local botanic and horticultural gardens. On your next local hike, observe which plants grow naturally in your area without human intervention. You can even join your local cactus and succulent society. It's also advantageous to consult with a landscape architect or designer to discuss ideas.
Familiarize yourself with your own terrain. Observe where the sun shines and where it's shady. Consider how rainwater flows and drains through the landscape based on slope or output from the downspouts. "Get to know your soil," says Jack Dash, the gardens and facilities manager at Tucson's Tohono Chul Sonoran Botanic Garden and Arboretum and author of The Southwest Native Plant Primer. "Some plants will prefer sandy, well-draining soil, while others are tolerant of heavy clays." Also think about pests like rabbits, deer, gophers, and groundhogs and whether it's worth installing pest-deterring fences or wiring.
Plan your layout. Decide where your hardscape will go, then your trees, and work down to your smallest plants. Think about the layers of your landscape. "Trees provide an overstory for shrubs that act as nurse plants for perennials and succulents," Dash says. "Layering plantings will allow you to maximize your plantable area." During this step, you'll also decide how and if to incorporate hydrozoning.
Remove or reduce turf. "Turf requires a lot of resources to stay healthy in an arid landscape," says Paige Anthony, a landscape architect with Tucson-based McGann and Associates. She adds that it's best to be selective when incorporating grass and limiting it to functional, rather than decorative, use cases. "Having a grassy area where you play or relax is okay."
Install hardscape. After installing fences, decks, and drainage, it's time to place boulders, gravel or flagstone paths, and other rock elements.
Amend your soil. Doing so may mean tilling better quality soil into your native soil, mounding up berms, or creating raised beds, says Annie Shaw, co-founder of Xeric Oasis, a San Francisco-based sustainable landscape design firm and 2025 Best of Houzz award-winner.
Plant drought-tolerant species. When doing so, remember to create watering basins to improve water flow to the roots. Additionally, "ensure that you plant the right species in the appropriate space," says Angelica Elliott, assistant director of public horticulture at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. "Confirm that the plants receive adequate sunlight and that the area where they are placed is spacious enough to accommodate their mature size." After the plants are in the ground, consider adding a slow-release fertilizer appropriate to the species.
Install efficient irrigation. Design your irrigation system to eliminate water waste. If possible, incorporate rainwater harvesting.
Add organic groundcover. Gravel, decomposed granite, and crushed rock are all viable groundcover options too, but they hold more heat. Organic options like mulch, plant debris, and/or wood chips "can help increase the nutrients in the soil naturally over time and support healthy roots and happy plants," Anthony says. "[They also] help insulate the soil from heat and cold, build up soil nutrients, and [are] renewable resources."
Revel in your fabulously xeriscaped yard. Sit back with a cold one and admire your handiwork.

Best Plants for Xeriscaping

The best plants for your xeriscaped, low-water-needs yard will be (wait for it…) plants that require minimal water. It's not quite as simple though as heading to the local home and garden store and tossing a bunch of plants labeled "low water" into your cart. "Plantings should be site specific," Anthony says. "You have to consider sun exposure, soil conditions, and how [the] landscape will be used."

The following plants are known for thriving in xeric landscapes in the U.S., but before buying, make sure to double-check that your selections are right for your USDA Zone.

Groundcovers:

Purple Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi) Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus) California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) Blue Chalksticks (Senecio mandralicae)
Small shrubs:

Compact, Pine Leaf Penstemon (Penstemon pinifolius) Greek Yarrow (Achillea ageratifolia) Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
Medium-to-large shrubs:

Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) Lavender (Lavandula) California Lilac (Ceanothus) Mexican Sage (Salvia leucantha) Coast Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa)
Ornamental grasses:

Karl Foerster (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster') Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens) Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
Trees:

California Lilac (Ceanothus) Serviceberries (Amelanchier arborea) Desert Museum Palo Verde (Cercidium hybrid ‘Desert Museum') Catalina Ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus) Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria) Texas Olive (Cordia boissieri)
Cacti and succulents:

Agave, several species of genus (spp.) Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.) Hedgehog Cacti (Echinocereus spp.) Golden Barrel Cactus (Kroenleinia grusonii) Aloe spp. Sedum spp. Echeveria spp. Yucca spp.

Common Xeriscaping Mistakes to Avoid

Moving forward without a plan

"One of the most tempting mistakes to make early on is to go to your local home improvement store and simply purchase whatever they happen to have that looks ‘deserty,'" Petersen says. "Sometimes these stores can have great options at good prices, but a carefully designed xeriscape will require a patient and resourceful approach."

Not researching your plants

Know their preferences for soil, sun, water, and care. "Choosing the wrong plants for your climate is definitely a big mistake," Shaw says. "Choosing the wrong plants for your soil type is the bigger mistake. That causes more death."

Planting too densely

Remember that the plants you buy from the nursery are not at their mature size. Don't plant them too close to your house or a narrow walkway. Also, expect there to be more open space in your yard initially. "Wait and see what happens over a year," says Anthony, noting you can always add more if you want. In the meantime, sit back. "There is joy and learning in watching them grow."

Underwatering and overwatering

Xeriscaped yards need less water, but they do need some water. That's especially true for roughly the first year after planting, when many plants need additional water to establish a strong root system. Of course, once they're established, be careful not to overwater them. Adjust irrigation to the species of plant and the seasons. (Most plants need less water during shorter, cooler winter days.) Some plants need to dry out completely between watering, notes Shaw. "For these plants, ‘treat them mean, keep them keen' is the adage," she says. "Just ignore them."

Setting the bar too high

"Get some easy, easy plants," Shaw says. "If you can keep them alive, then try something trickier. And, it's important to know that some plants are going to die. Look at it as an opportunity to try some new plants."

How Much Does Xeriscaping Cost?

As with any home improvement project, there's a wide range in potential upfront cost. "There's no Kelly Blue Book for gardens," Shaw laughs. In the San Francisco Bay area where she designs gardens, she estimates pricing for a professionally xeriscaped yard will fall between $25,000 and $250,000.

Key elements that will impact your cost include:

Size of the area you're xeriscaping
Extent to which you're amending the soil
Hardscape choices like rocks, paths, seating areas, decks, outdoor kitchens, and water features
Irrigation system parts and installation
Plant size, type, and density of planting
Mulch choice
Low voltage lighting design and installation
Professional help, both design and installation

Should I try DIY Xeriscaping?

The answer depends significantly on your skillset and resources. If you understand low-water plants, soil quality, and irrigation systems, not to mention landscape design principles like repeating patterns and textures in a way that feels harmonious, you might consider xeriscaping yourself.

Choosing to xeriscape yourself has potential to cut the price roughly in half, Salom of JW Zunino & Associates estimates. But, he adds, "usually something that might take you a month will take a landscape contractor a week." It's also very physically demanding work.

To save money, consider:

Working with a professional on the xeriscape design and plant choices and then tackling the installation yourself.
Installing your xeriscaping incrementally. For example, you could start with a section of your front yard or an exterior border in your backyard.

Xeriscape Before-and-After Ideas

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Home Living section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 9:20 PM.