Topic
Step-by-step projects for building a xeriscape: removing lawn, converting sprinklers to drip, prepping soil, building a dry creek bed, and caring for new plants through their first year.
54 guides
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.