Swapped my lawn for native plants, water bill dropped $40 a month

I got tired of watering 3 hours a week in the summer here in Phoenix. Put in some desert sage and red yucca from a local nursery and now I barely run the hose. Anyone else try xeriscaping and see a real difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

norathomas1mo ago

That's awesome about the water bill, but calling it xeriscaping is a bit off. Xeriscaping is the whole system, not just the plants. It's about grouping plants by water needs, using good soil, and smart irrigation. You did the hardest part by picking natives, which is great. A lot of people miss the other steps and still end up watering too much.

oscarb771mo ago

You're totally right about the full system thing. My neighbor just put in a bunch of drought tolerant stuff but runs his sprinklers on the same schedule for everything. It's a mud pit near the shrubs and the other plants look fried. He won't listen to me about setting different zones. Getting the plants is the fun part, but the setup behind it really matters.

piperwhite1mo ago

Ugh, why are people like that?