A formal courtyard looks into a bed beyond the breezeway.

Looking back at the breezeway. An arrangement of succulents, yucca and perennials floats above a perennial bed.

Flat boulders are dryset to create a lakeside patio.

Flat boulders are set to create a naturalistic set of stairs down to a lakeside patio.

A water spillway built into the side of the hot tub flows into a recirculating creek feature. Xeric plants provide structure in the expansive garden.

Rather than having a rain chain splatter water onto a front porch, water is directed into an urn which opens to an underground drainage pipe.

Lizards and other wildlife love the garden.

A wall between the motor court and the courtyard separates the transitional space to the front door.

Xeric plants such as wedelia hispida, mexican feather grass and manfreda maculosa require less water than traditional landscaping selections. An open design custom metal fence protects the garden from deer while allowing a view of the lake.

Xeriscaping doesn't have to be all yucca and cactus; there are many great flowering plants that are native or adapted to central Texas that are happy with the amount of rain we usually get. Drip irrigation provides supplemental water during drought seasons without the waste of spray heads.

We just barely missed the beautiful flowers of the manfreda maculosa, but even the spent blooms are beautiful!

Drought tolerant plants such as red yucca and Mexican feather grass provide interest along a dry creek bed. The creek bed manages water runoff from the driveway and directs it toward the lake.

Flat limestone steppers set in the grass create an informal path between main areas of the yard.