Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Ideas
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A boring front lawn transformed into an explosion of color with drought tolerant perennials and grasses and an Idaho Fescue lawn. Warm, welcoming entry in this Urban garden.


This Caviness project for a modern farmhouse design in a community-based neighborhood called The Prairie At Post in Oklahoma. This complete outdoor design includes a large swimming pool with waterfalls, an underground slide, stream bed, glass tiled spa and sun shelf, native Oklahoma flagstone for patios, pathways and hand-cut stone retaining walls, lush mature landscaping and landscape lighting, a prairie grass embedded pathway design, embedded trampoline, all which overlook the farm pond and Oklahoma sky. This project was designed and installed by Caviness Landscape Design, Inc., a small locally-owned family boutique landscape design firm located in Arcadia, Oklahoma. We handle most all aspects of the design and construction in-house to control the quality and integrity of each project.
Film by Affordable Aerial Photo & Video


To anchor a modern house, designed by Frederick Fisher & Partners, Campion Walker brought in a mature oak grove that at first frames the home and then invites the visitor to explore the grounds including an intimate culinary garden and stone fruit orchard.
The neglected hillside on the back of the property once overgrown with ivy was transformed into a California native oak woodland, with under-planting of ceanothus and manzanitas.
We used recycled water to create a dramatic water feature cut directly into the limestone entranceway framed by a cacti and succulent garden.
8 Drought-Sensitive Ways to Start a Garden
Learn how you can add a new garden while also conserving water, with these tips from landscape pros



PHOTO TAKEN SOON AFTER INSTALLATION. SEE BEFORE PHOTOS AND AFTER 2 YEARS. This San Rafael front landscape has been dramatically updated with a welcoming concrete pathway entrance, and complimented by a variety of architectural plants, hardy succulents, textural grasses and a majestic, fruitless olive tree. The dramatic transformation is enhanced by a raised corten steel planter at the pathway entrance with gravel , Mexican pebbles, concrete pavers, and succulents. Two horizontal ipe wood structures provide contemporary accents. New raised concrete planters alongside the new concrete driveway define the property and showcase more colorful succulents. A beautiful gray house paint color and ipe accents complete the remodel. Plants include Lomandra 'Breeze', Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark', Thamnochortus insignis, Phormium 'Black Adder' along with others.
Drawings, Design and Photos © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design


Concrete slab and deck sections create a path to the front door in a sea of decorative pebbles. This is all about the design and very limited water and maintenance needed. Photo by Ketti Kupper


Decomposed granite patio/flex space defined with custom steel edging.
Photographer: Greg Thomas, http://optphotography.com/


Terraced Retaining Wall of AllenBlock Europa Series with low voltage landscape lighting and new plantings.
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional partial sun and drought-tolerant backyard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in Seattle for summer.
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional partial sun and drought-tolerant backyard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in Seattle for summer.


Photo of a large contemporary full sun and drought-tolerant front yard concrete paver garden path in Kansas City.


Bocce Ball court with decomposed granite
This is an example of a mid-sized mediterranean drought-tolerant and full sun backyard stone garden path in San Diego for spring.
This is an example of a mid-sized mediterranean drought-tolerant and full sun backyard stone garden path in San Diego for spring.


This is a California xeriscape succulent garden. Clients wanted color and texture with drought-resistant plant materials. They enjoy garden sculptures, so we included a Buddha and a Roman bust planted with succulents. The previous owners of the property left behind some old San Francisco cobblestones, which we incorporated into the new design, using them as garden steps.
We built low, raised beds out of stone, also existing on the property, and used containers along steps and against existing concrete walls to soften the hard surfaces.


Entrance walk edged with pineleaf penstemon and daylily.
Spears Horn Architects
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun front yard stone garden path in Albuquerque for summer.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun front yard stone garden path in Albuquerque for summer.


Marc Mason Landscape Services
This is an example of a small transitional drought-tolerant and full sun front yard landscaping in Orange County for summer.
This is an example of a small transitional drought-tolerant and full sun front yard landscaping in Orange County for summer.


Because of the sloping terrain the backyard was always swampy and mushy. Improving the site to enable water to flow through the yard and infiltrate into the ground was a top priority.
The drainage issues were put to rest by building a creek bed from real river rocks.
Bonus – when the stream bed is dry it adds a Zen element to this already tranquil backyard.
Photography by John Wiese


Richard Radford
Inspiration for a mid-sized mid-century modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard gravel landscaping in San Francisco.
Inspiration for a mid-sized mid-century modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard gravel landscaping in San Francisco.


Our homeowners were looking for a garden where they could sit by the fire, grow vegetable and hear the sound of water. Their home was new construction in a modern farmhouse style. We used gravel and concrete as paving. Board formed concrete firepit keeps it feeling modern. The vegetable beds supply season vegetables and herbs.


Neil Donaldson
Design ideas for a farmhouse drought-tolerant side yard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in San Luis Obispo.
Design ideas for a farmhouse drought-tolerant side yard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in San Luis Obispo.


Photo of a large contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in Orange County.


Another view of the upper patio with Sonoma fieldstone and blue stone circular bench that serves as a retaining wall and provides ample seating for visitors. The majestic oak tree is a primary focal point in this setting and frames the distance hillsides and a bay view. Decomposed granite patio and pathways. Design and Photo: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design http://www.digyourgarden.com
Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Ideas


Dave Carter/Carter Photography
This is an example of a southwestern drought-tolerant backyard brick landscaping in Phoenix.
This is an example of a southwestern drought-tolerant backyard brick landscaping in Phoenix.


Striking Texas native botanical design with local river rock top dressing. Photographer: Greg Thomas, http://optphotography.com/
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