If you're on a budget, a lot of succulents can get expensive, especially agaves. Use grasses as your background, and then invest in large, statement-making succulents and boulders scattered around. Don't just buy lots of small, mixed, multicolored plants. You will create a bigger visual impact with just a few plant varieties and a couple of colors that repeat and create patterns.
Also, grasses look great from above as they move with the wind like waves.
I like bright green Mexican feather grass (for spring) and pink Muhly grass (for fall). Muhly comes in several varieties and different colors.
Create grass-free islands for agaves and yuccas, so they stand out. Agaves look spectacular from above.
Of course you need a couple of seasons for them to get big and fill out but it's worth the wait. Here they are in a borrowed pic, side by side, Muhly just starting to bloom and MFG already yellowing but still very pretty.
Make sure you leave gravel paths between your plants so you can maintain them as needed. Eventually they will get obscured by the foliage but you will know where they are.
I don't prune my grasses at all. There's a short period in early spring when you have a mix of old yellow and new green blades, but then the old blades disappear. No maintenance needed if you like the natural look.
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