I would recommend driving around and finding some yards that you like the look of. Copy what they have done, or take some ideas from a few different places. We could all make suggestions, but if someone has been successful in your same climate, your chances are better if you do something similar. I would also strongly encourage you to knock on the doors of homes that you like the look of. Most gardeners are happy to talk about their processes. They might even offer you seeds or divisions of some of their plants that do particularly well.

Another issue to consider is providing plants for wildlife. Shrubs that bloom for the pollinators and provide cover for birds and insects are excellent choices. You could also focus on "hard scape," meaning rocks or benches. I'd be careful about theft, since your spot is so exposed.

Actually, your site is small enough that you could just plant a mixture of low-growing sedums and sempervivums in place of a lawn. I experimented this year growing both from seed and they did amazingly well. So, it could be done pretty inexpensively. There are companies that sell cuttings of such mixtures already grown, and sell them by the garbage bagful. Generally they sell to large businesses who have incorporated green roofs into their businesses. I bet you could get one bag and cover your entire yard quickly. Try googling "green roofs industrial" or something similar. Good luck and congratulations on thinking water conserving.

Martha

Where are you located? What may be an appropriate drought tolerant plant one location may not work at all well in another. It's a bit difficult to make suggestions without knowing what region/area of the country we are talking about.

Love that you're trying to be eco-friendly by going for drought tolerant plants. Here's a blog that may help out: http://ecomindedsolutions.com/drought-tolerant-landscaping-ideas/

And here's a link to our projects for inspiration: http://www.houzz.com/projects/1062936/drought-tolerant-landscaping-ideas

Good luck! :)

I started planting drought tolerant about 3 years ago and just started planting things...no plan at all! Now, my garden is amazing

I don't know where you live but if you go to http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/plan_california.aspx and they have plans for

for native plant gardens and other drought resistant plans