An established xeriscape needs one real work session in early spring, a few light check-ins through the growing season, one fall watering and winterizing session, and occasional winter watering in dry spells. That's a few focused hours per season instead of a weekly mow. Low maintenance isn't no maintenance, and doing each job at the right time is most of the trick. The calendar below is written for cold-winter western climates like the Front Range; shift it a few weeks earlier or later for your hardiness zone and local frost dates.
The year at a glance
| Season | Main tasks | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Early spring (Mar–Apr) | Cut back grasses and perennials, weed seedlings, start up and inspect drip, top up mulch | Half a day to a day |
| Late spring (May–Jun) | Start watering as heat arrives, plant, edit self-seeders | An hour or two a month |
| Summer (Jul–Aug) | Deep, infrequent watering; spot weeding; optional deadheading | A stroll each week |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | Leave seedheads standing, fall planting, final deep watering, winterize irrigation | A few hours |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Water during dry spells without snow cover, keep salt off beds | 30 minutes a month in dry winters |
Early spring: the big session
This is the main work session of the year. Budget half a day for a typical front yard.
- Cut back last year's growth. Shear ornamental grasses such as little bluestem and feather reed grass to a few inches before new green emerges. Remove last season's dead perennial stems. For big perennial areas, CSU Extension's John Murgel notes you can even use a lawn mower on a high setting.
- Don't rush the tender plants. Wait until after your last hard frost to cut back marginal plants such as agastache and lavender. Their dead tops insulate live crowns.
- Prune shrubs lightly. Remove dead wood and shape modestly. Prune spring bloomers after they flower. Cut Russian sage down to about a foot once new growth shows at the base.
- Weed early, weed small. The year's most important weeding happens now, while weeds are seedlings and the soil is soft (weeds in gravel).
- Start up and inspect the drip system. Run each zone, walk the lines, replace clogged or missing emitters, clean the filter, and move emitters outward on shrubs that have grown. EPA's sprinkler spruce-up checklist (inspect, connect, direct, select) applies to drip too.
- Top up mulch to a full 3–4 inches, the depth CSU recommends for most mulches, with wood in the beds and gravel in the dry zones. Keep it a few inches off crowns.
Late spring
- Start irrigation slowly. Established xeriscapes often need nothing until real heat arrives. When you start, water deeply and infrequently. Overwatering kills more xeriscapes than drought.
- Plant. Spring is prime time for adding perennials and shrubs; they get a full season to root before winter.
- Edit self-seeders. Pull extra seedlings of blanket flower, penstemon and grasses before volunteers become a takeover.
Summer
The season your xeriscape was built for. Maintenance drops to a stroll:
- Water established beds deeply and rarely. Many need a soak every week or two in the heat; some natives need nothing in a normal year. CSU's Murgel says the goal is to water less over time and eventually let xeric plants rely on natural rainfall. First- and second-year plantings follow their own schedule (first-year care).
- Deadhead if you like. It extends bloom on catmint, salvia and blanket flower. It's optional.
- Pull the occasional weed. With full mulch there aren't many.
- Watch, don't fuss. Wilting at 4 p.m. that recovers by morning is normal heat behavior. Wilting at 8 a.m. means check the emitter, or check for too much water.
Fall
- Stop fertilizing and heavy pruning. Let plants harden off for winter.
- Leave seedheads and grasses standing. They give winter structure, feed birds and insulate crowns. The tidy fall cleanup is a lawn-culture habit.
- Plant. Early fall is excellent planting time in most xeriscapes: warm soil, cool air, and winter moisture ahead (fall planting guide).
- Give a final deep watering before the ground freezes, especially to evergreens and anything planted this year.
- Winterize irrigation. Drain or blow out lines before the first hard freeze, and unscrew and drain hose-end timers, filters and backflow preventers. The full checklist is in how to winterize a xeriscape.
- Check local rules. Drought rules can change fall watering. As of September 2026, Denver Water prohibits watering grass or using spray irrigation beginning Oct. 1, while still allowing trees, shrubs and other plants to be watered by drip or a hand-held hose with a shutoff nozzle.
Winter
Mostly, enjoy the structure. Two real tasks:
Water during dry spells. In cold, dry climates like Denver and Colorado Springs, CSU Extension notes there's often little or no snow cover from October through March. Its fall and winter watering guidance:
| Plant | CSU winter watering guideline |
|---|---|
| When to water | Air temperature above 40°F, no snow cover, at midday so water soaks in before night |
| How often | About once or twice a month during extended dry periods |
| Trees | About 10 gallons per inch of trunk diameter per watering |
| Newly planted shrubs | 5 gallons twice a month |
| Small established shrubs (under 3 ft) | 5 gallons monthly |
| Large established shrubs (over 6 ft) | 18 gallons monthly |
| Perennials | Water late-planted, bare-root, and windy or southwest-facing perennials |
Reduce the amounts to account for any rain or snowmelt. With the irrigation system winterized, use a hose.
Keep de-icing salt off the beds. Use sand or a plant-safe ice melt near plantings, and don't pile salty plowed snow on the beds.
The whole year in one line
A big spring cleanup, some spring planting, almost nothing in summer, one fall watering and winterizing session, and a few winter soakings in dry years. Compare that with mowing 25 or more times a year, plus fertilizing, aerating, overseeding and fixing sprinklers, and the low-maintenance claim holds up. It just isn't zero.
From our installs: the calendar item Front Range homeowners skip most is winter watering, and it shows up in April as dead evergreens and shrubs planted the previous fall, with no sign of trouble until spring. The second most common miss is the spring drip check. Hail, rabbits and foot traffic knock emitters loose over winter, and a single geyser can drown one plant while its neighbor dries out. We put both on the calendar for every client, along with leaving grasses standing until March.
Frequently asked questions
How much maintenance does a xeriscape need?
After the first year or two, a few focused sessions a season: a spring cutback and cleanup, occasional weeding and watering in summer, fall winterizing, and winter watering during dry spells. It's far less than weekly mowing, but it isn't zero.
When should I cut back ornamental grasses and perennials?
In early spring, before new growth emerges. Leaving them standing through winter provides structure, bird food and crown insulation. Wait until after your last hard frost for tender plants like agastache and lavender.
Do you need to water a xeriscape in winter?
In dry, cold-winter climates, yes, during long dry spells. CSU Extension recommends watering when air temperatures are above 40°F and there's no snow cover, at midday, about once or twice a month, with extra attention to trees, evergreens and anything planted that year.
Should I clean up my xeriscape in the fall?
Mostly no. Leave seedheads and grasses standing until spring. Do the fall jobs that matter: a final deep watering, winterizing the irrigation, and fall planting.
