Tips and Resources for Creating a Drought-Resistant Yard This Spring

After an unusually warm winter, now is the ideal time to start preparing your outdoor space before summer heat sets in. We offer a variety of resources to help you create and maintain a beautiful, drought-resistant yard that stays water wise during our hottest months. 

Properly Plan or Upgrade Your Desert-Adapted Landscape

To add more native and desert plants to your yard to reduce water use and attract local pollinators, there are several local resources that can help you get started. Cities like Peoria  and Phoenix  provide helpful guides, sample xeriscape design plans, and information on plant selection, irrigation, and desert landscape design to help residents visualize options and plan their spaces.

A good plan is the first step to a beautiful yard, and the Xeriscaping: Landscaping with Style in the Arizona Desert website offers tips for designing, installing, and maintaining your landscape. Using native and desert-adapted plants can cut outdoor water consumption, lower maintenance requirements, and create landscapes that are better suited to Arizona’s climate. These resources are useful for planning or upgrading a yard to be both attractive and water-efficient.

If you still need some additional visual assistance, visit local xeriscape demonstration gardens . Arizona has many gardens, including several in the Valley, that offer practical advice and showcase mature trees and plants that thrive in our climate.

Pick the Right Plants

If you need more help with spring planting, check out the Plants for the Arizona Desert  website. It features desert-friendly plants to make planning your yard easier. The desert offers many beautiful, low-water plants to choose from. Mixing different colors, shapes, and textures lets you create a landscape with year-round color and seasonal interest.

The updated printed guide of Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert is also available for your planting needs. Healthy landscapes use a variety of plants, and the new edition lists over 215 options in easy-to-browse categories. Get a free copy from your local water conservation office  or download the digital version at www.amwua.org/plants .

Take a Class or Attend a Workshop

Free workshops and events  are held across the Valley, giving you a chance to learn about a wide range of landscaping topics. Learn how to design and build sustainable desert landscapes, keep your yard healthy in the heat, and care for desert trees. You’ll also get tips on managing your irrigation controller, finding and fixing leaks, and understanding your irrigation system.

By learning these skills, you can create a beautiful, water-efficient yard. For more details, contact your city’s conservation office or visit the AMWUA website. Planning ahead gives your garden the best chance to thrive, and these workshops can help you get started.

Find Rebates and Incentives

Each AMWUA city offers its own mix of water conservation programs, including rebates and incentives designed for local needs. These focus on landscape conversions, efficient indoor fixtures, water-saving technologies, smart irrigation systems, water use monitoring, and neighborhood grants. All of these help residents use less water and save money both indoors and outdoors.

There are also rebates for non-residential customers, such as businesses, commercial properties, and HOAs. These programs support water efficiency through large-scale grass removal and the use of smart controllers. Many cities also offer water-efficiency check-ups.

Cities have limited budgets for these programs, so it’s a good idea to apply early. Visit the rebates section  for the latest information and links to learn how to apply for current rebate programs in your city.

March is such a perfect time to plan, plant, and transform your yard. Opting for desert-adapted landscaping not only saves you time, water, and money but also plays a part in supporting a sustainable future for our desert communities.

For 57 years, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association has worked to protect our member cities' ability to provide assured, safe, and sustainable water supplies to their communities – Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. For more information on water, visit www.amwua.org .