Drought-tolerant landscaping, such as ornamental grasses, xeriscaping, succulents, and drip irrigation, can help you create a space that looks good and suits your local climate.
According to the EPA, lawn irrigation accounts for nearly one-third of all residential water use, and up to 9 billion gallons daily in the U.S. On average, you can save 30% to 50% of your outdoor water use by switching to drought-resistant landscaping.
If you’d rather work with a professional on your landscape redesign, Lawn Love connects you with local gardening pros who can plan and install drought-tolerant gardens, native beds, and low-water landscapes.
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| • Xeriscaping cuts outdoor water use by 30%–50% or more once established • Drip irrigation saves 20%–50% more water than traditional sprinklers • The best low-water yards combine drought-adapted plants with water-efficient systems |
1. Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping is about planning your yard in a smarter way. It groups plants with similar water needs, cuts down on water-hungry lawn areas, and uses efficient watering methods.
Once it’s established, a xeriscaped yard can cut your outdoor water use by 30%-50% or more, says John Murgel, horticulture expert with the Colorado State University Extension.
Unfortunately, many homeowners make critical errors when converting their yard. Dusty Broadhead, CEO at Lawn Logic Turf in Kennesaw, Georgia, sees this happen often.
“The biggest mistake is removing turf without addressing soil compaction first,” Broadhead says. “Most lawns have heavily compacted soil that won’t support xeriscape plants well.”
“Homeowners also tend to underestimate how much mulch depth matters, plant too many non-natives thinking they’re drought-tolerant, and overwater during establishment then never dial it back once plants are settled.”
Read more: 17 Best Xeriscaping Plants for Your Landscape
2. Succulent gardens
Succulents hold water in their leaves, stems, and roots, so they’re perfect for dry climates. You can plant succulents in a rock garden or container, and water them only when the soil feels dry. This can mean every 10 days during warm months and every 4 to 5 weeks during colder months.
To keep succulents alive outdoors, you must prepare the soil correctly.
“Drainage is everything,” Broadhead says. “You want to amend native soil with a minimum 50% coarse sand or decomposed granite, ideally more. Raise the bed if possible; even a few inches of elevation helps enormously.”
“Avoid any soil mixes with peat or high organic content. They retain moisture for too long. A gravel top-dressing around the base of plants also keeps the crown dry, which is where rot usually starts.”
Common succulents include: agave, aloe, crassula, echeveria, elephant’s food, kalanchoe, sedum, and sempervivum.
Read more: 9 Best Cold-Hardy Outdoor Succulents
3. Native plant gardens
Native plants are used to your local conditions, so if dry spells are common, they won’t mind. Many plants grow deep roots and require very little care, which is great if you’re on a budget or have limited time for maintenance.
To make your native garden look intentional and beautiful, you need to properly group the plants. Ryan Marsh, founder at SiteWorx Pools, Spas, & Outdoor Living in Tampa, FL, says random placement is a huge mistake.
“Treat a drought-tolerant bed like an outdoor room,” Marsh says. “Pick one structural plant as your focal point, then cluster lower-growing species around it. That intentionality is what separates a designed landscape from an accidental one.”
Common drought-tolerant native plants are black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, yarrow, blazing star, common sunflower, fragrant sumac, and milkweed.
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4. Rock gardens
Rock gardens are both decorative and practical. They reduce the amount of plantable space, which means less watering, and add structure and interest. You can pair rocks with sedum, creeping thyme, lavender, and alpine aster; these nestle between the rocks to fill gaps and spread like a natural green blanket.
Consider a rock garden for sunny slopes, around your patio, along walkways, and in areas with poor soil where grass struggles to grow.
Read more: 20 Best Plants For Rock Gardens
5. Rain gardens
Even dry regions get the occasional heavy rain. Rain gardens are shallow, bowl-shaped areas that collect stormwater runoff from roofs, driveways, and patios and store it in the soil for your plants to use between storms. They help your yard stay hydrated during long dry spells.
You must test your soil to ensure the rain garden drains fast enough so it does not become a mosquito breeding ground. Broadhead recommends a simple field test.
“Dig a hole 12 inches deep, fill it with water, let it drain, refill it, and measure how fast the second fill drains,” Broadhead says.
“You want at least 1 inch per hour, ideally closer to 2. If it’s draining slower, amend with sharp sand and compost and retest. The target is complete drainage within 24 to 48 hours after a rain event. Mosquitoes need standing water for about 72 hours to breed, so staying inside that window is your safety margin.”
To create a rain garden, use a mix of drought-tolerant and deep-rooted native plants. Good options include switchgrass, black-eyed Susan, blue flag iris, and coneflowers.
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6. Ornamental grasses
Ornamental grasses like pampas grass, fountain grass, or big bluestem are very drought-tolerant once established. They add texture and height to your yard without needing much water.
Their roots often grow 3 to 6 feet deep (some up to 10), reaching water that regular lawn grass can’t. Above ground, narrow leaves, waxy coatings, and an upright growth habit minimize water loss from sun exposure. Once established, they usually only need rain to survive, even when it’s dry for a long time.
To keep them healthy and reduce fire hazards in dry climates, you must cut them back at the right time.
“Cut them back hard down to about 4 to 6 inches from the ground in late winter to early spring before new growth emerges,” Broadhead says.
“In fire-prone areas, don’t wait too long into the dry season to do this, as dead foliage is a significant fuel load. Avoid cutting in fall since the dried blades provide some winter insulation to the crown. A good rule is to cut when you see the tips of new green growth starting to push through,” he says.
7. Drought-resistant grasses
Drought-tolerant grasses establish quickly with minimal rainfall and survive dry periods by entering dormancy instead of dying. They have deep roots that find water lower in the soil, narrow leaves with waxy coatings that lose less moisture, and tough leaf tissues that help them resist wilting and heat stress during dry spells.
If you want to keep a patch of traditional turf, you can actually train the grass to be more drought-resistant. Broadhead says infrequent, deep watering is the single most effective technique.
“Water less often but run it longer so moisture penetrates 6 to 8 inches down,” Broadhead says. “Roots follow water, so if you’re watering shallow and frequent, roots stay shallow and lazy.”
“Pair that with raising your mow height and avoid fertilizing heavily with nitrogen during heat stress. Let the lawn experience mild drought stress between watering cycles. That pressure is what drives the roots downward.”
- Best cool-season drought-tolerant grasses: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass
- Best warm-season drought-tolerant grasses: Bermudagrass, Buffalograss, St. Augustinegrass, Zoysiagrass
8. Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation sends small, targeted amounts of water directly to the roots of grass and plants. It prevents evaporation and saves between 20% to 50% more water than traditional sprinklers.
There are several options for drip irrigation:
- Poly tubing: Releases water directly into the soil, near the plants. Ideal for both small and large areas, garden beds, shrubs, and vegetable gardens.
- Soaker hoses: “Bleed” water directly from pores to the soil surface and can be buried under mulch to reduce evaporation.
- Drip tape: Has custom emitter spacing. Great for raised flower beds, shallow-rooted plants, and vegetable gardens.
- Micro sprinklers: Provide a wide spray pattern and gentle, uniform watering suitable for ground covers, flower beds, and vegetable gardens.
Read more:
- Benefits of Drip Irrigation
- How Much Does Drip Irrigation Cost in 2025?
- Types of Irrigation
- How to Install an In-Ground Lawn Sprinkler System
9. Mulch
Mulch is a must-have for keeping soil cool and moist in drought-prone areas. Organic mulches like bark, wood chips, straw, or compost slow down evaporation, suppress weeds, and improve soil over time.
“Inorganic mulches like gravel trap radiant heat differently depending on stone color and depth,” Eagan says. “Dark gravel in a tight bed against a south-facing wall creates a very different microclimate than pale crushed granite with breathing room. I’ve seen rooftop planters with the wrong substrate bake roots from below and above simultaneously.”
What to consider when choosing mulch for your drought-tolerant landscape:
| What’s your goal? | Best mulch type | Why it works |
| Retain moisture and improve soil | Shredded bark, straw, compost | Organic matter feeds the soil and holds moisture |
| Low-maintenance, modern look | Gravel, crushed stone | Inorganic, lasts long, great for xeriscaping |
| Improve veggie beds | Straw, compost | Breaks down quickly, improves the soil |
| Manage windy conditions | Bark nuggets or stone | Heavier materials stay in place |
Read more:
- How to Choose the Right Color Mulch?
- Mulch Calculator: How Much Mulch Do I Need?
- How Deep Should Mulch Be?
10. Raised beds
Raised beds are garden plots that sit above ground level, usually framed with wood, stone, or other materials. They’re valuable for drought tolerance because you have complete control over the soil mix. You can use rich soil, compost, or coco coir to create the ideal growing environment.
This custom soil mix helps plants survive dry spells by helping the soil:
- Hold moisture longer between waterings
- Drain efficiently (without getting soggy) to prevent root problems
- Reduce runoff or water waste
With raised beds, you can group plants by water needs, run drip irrigation directly where it’s needed, and mulch over everything to reduce evaporation further.
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11. Container gardens
Containers let you target water directly to each plant’s root zone, and because the pots are isolated, you’re not accidentally soaking nearby soil or turf that doesn’t need it. This helps grow drought-tolerant varieties like succulents, lavender, or rosemary.
When planning a container garden, Eagan suggests thinking about the empty spaces.
“The gaps between plants are part of the design,” Eagan says. “We use deliberate open zones between plantings that double as visual relief and airflow channels, which also reduces heat buildup on the hardscape surface underneath.”
12. Hardscaping
Hardscaping — patios, gravel paths, stone walls, and fire pits — eliminates plantable space entirely and requires zero irrigation once installed. Used creatively, hardscaping can add beauty, function, and structure to your landscape while supporting drainage and controlling erosion.
You should prioritize permeable materials, like gravel or spaced flagstone, over solid concrete. Marsh says solid concrete concentrates heat and redirects water flow directly toward your home’s foundation.
“We always design with French drains or permeable pavers on pool decks for exactly this reason,” Marsh says. “During a heavy rain, improper drainage can undo a landscape investment fast.”
Read more: 10 Hardscaping Ideas for Extra Curb Appeal
FAQs
For most of the U.S., Texas sage, lavender, and Russian sage are among the most drought-resistant shrubs available. Texas sage is nearly indestructible in the Southwest and blooms after rain. Russian sage handles cold winters and hot, dry summers across a wide range of climates. For the Southeast, wax myrtle and fragrant sumac are reliable choices.
Creeping thyme is one of the most versatile drought-tolerant ground covers. It handles light foot traffic, spreads to fill gaps, and blooms in summer. Sedum is equally tough and thrives in rocky, dry spots.
For warm climates, ice plant is nearly indestructible once established. White clover stays green in drought, requires no mowing to the same height as grass, and fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it a popular low-water lawn alternative.
It usually takes 2 to 3 full growing seasons for drought-tolerant plants to establish deep, healthy root systems.
During this first year, they need regular watering to help them settle into the soil. Once their roots are completely established, they will require very little supplemental water.
The average cost of xeriscaping nationwide is about $17,000, including labor and materials, with most homeowners spending between $15,120 and $18,400 for a standard-size yard.
Let an expert take it from here
With the right drought-friendly landscaping, your yard can look amazing without excessive watering or maintenance. However, converting your landscaping can take time and effort.
Lawn Love can connect you with a local pro to handle the dirty work so you can just relax and enjoy your beautiful new yard.
Main Image:Plants and shrubs line a modern rock garden landscape in front of a home. Photo Credit: Thierry RYO / Adobe Stock
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