How to Xeriscape on a Budget

Water is a precious resource. With droughts becoming more frequent and temperatures rising, more homeowners are converting their traditional lawned gardens into xeriscapes.

A professionally designed and installed xeriscape can come at a steep price, but xeriscaping does not have to be an expensive endeavor.

Reduce the cost of xeriscaping by doing the physical work yourself. Choose native, non-invasive plants that spread quickly.

Instead of buying hardscaping elements, like concrete slabs or flagstone, find cost-free alternatives, like gathered shells, pebbles, or sea glass, and make your own mulch.

Once the plants have established strong roots, a xeriscape garden does not need irrigation, as the native plants are already adapted to growing in your area. Xeriscapes are cheaper and easier to maintain.

Here is how to xeriscape your yard and cut costs along the way.

The Principles of Xeriscaping

The concept of xeriscaping was developed in Colorado during a prolonged drought that forced people to consider a more water-efficient style of landscaping.

With the high cost of water and its innate value, it is just not feasible to be using water to irrigate lawns.

The following 7 principles of xeriscaping were developed:

1. Efficient planning and design.
2. Minimize the area of the lawn.
3. Plant native, water-efficient species.
4. Irrigate water-efficiently.
5. Amend the soil.
6. Use plenty of mulch to cover the soil surface.
7. Maintain the xeriscape appropriately.

Top Pick

I’ve included more of my favorite xeriscaping and water-wise gardening books below!

Cost Factors of Xeriscaping

These are the factors to consider when determining the cost of xeriscaping your yard:

• Size of the landscape. The larger your yard, the higher the cost of converting it to a xeric landscape. Xeriscaping costs $5 to $20 per square foot, including the plants, tools and equipment, supplies, and labor.
• Size of the plants bought. The cost of mature shrubs and trees is high. It is more cost-effective to buy smaller, younger plants from the nursery and to grow them from seeds or from cuttings.
• The cost of labor. Having a xeriscape designed by a landscape planner costs around $200. It costs between $50 and $100 per hour to hire a landscaper. One of the simplest ways to reduce the cost of xeriscaping your yard is to take on the physical work yourself.
• Hardscaping elements. Using natural hardscaping elements is less expensive than buying concrete slabs or artificial rocks. Some materials are available for free, like shells, pebbles, driftwood, recycled scrap metal objects, and felled trees.
• The type of irrigation system. A xeriscape will need irrigation for the first year or two until all the plants have established strong root systems. Surface irrigation ($0.38-$0.46 per square foot) is cheaper than drip irrigation ($2.50 to $4.50 per square foot), but they are far less water efficient.
• Additional features, like outdoor lighting, concrete paving and rainwater harvesting systems, will all add to the cost of your xeriscape.

Ideas for Lowering the Cost of Xeriscaping

• Only xeriscape a part of the yard, or just xeriscape the front or back yard.
• Take the work into your own hands. The simplest way to reduce the price of xeriscaping is to do the physical labor yourself.
• Minimize the hardscaping elements. Creating a dramatic rock garden with large boulders is only feasible if you do not have to buy them. Look for things that are freely available, like collected pebbles and seashells, sea glass, driftwood, or fallen trees. Flagtones and natural boulders are extremely expensive to buy and install.
• Instead of buying mature trees and shrubs, buy smaller plants from the nursery and grow plants from seed and from cuttings. Although it takes longer, this saves a significant amount of money.
• Choose native plant species that self-seed and spread quickly. This way, they will quickly fill up the space, and you can divide them, making more plants for other areas in the landscape.
• Instead of buying bags of mulch, make your own. It is easy to do this using a lawnmower to shred garden waste like lawn clippings, leaves, twigs, and weeds.

Our Pick

How to Xeriscape on a Budget FAQs

The 9 Best Xeriscaping Books

Xeriscape your own yard on a budget with these best books to help you on your way! These are my top recommendations:

Final Thoughts

Xeriscape gardens are not only attractive, giving your home curb appeal, but they are also water-saving and can save you a lot of money in the long term.

Do not be put off by the fact that the average xeriscaping project costs around $15,000. There are many ways to xeriscape on a budget.

• A major way to reduce the cost is to do the physical labor yourself.
• Purchase younger plants from the garden center and grow them from cuttings and from seed.
• Minimize hardscaping elements that you have to buy.
• Choose plants that grow and spread quickly.

Have you xeriscaped your yard? Planning to do so? Let us know your thoughts, ideas, and comments below!