Would you like drought tolerant outdoor landscaping ideas?  Most homeowners enjoy having a lovely lawn in their front yard.  But that isn’t really practical today.  We should all have take care and concern about how we use our water.  The outdoor landscape plans suggested below are all drought tolerant.

The first thing to do would be to get rid of the thirsty lawn in the front yard.  In its place have a woodland garden, hardscape or meadow.  One outdoor landscaping plan for the front yard would be to greet your guests with a natural stone walkway.  A woodland garden made up of natural stone surrounded by tiny wildflowers.  The walkway becomes more intriguing with a variety of small evergreen shrubs and delightful perennials lining the path.

If you live in the Northeast or west try planting hydrangeas that bloom in the summer and to add a little color in the winter plant a red twig dogwood shrub. An evergreen perennial such as the hellebores would be an elegant and colorful addition.  It is a buttercup varietal that can have up to 50 blossoms and will grow to 18 inches.

For the Southwest drought resistant outdoor landscaping ideas are commonplace and many homeowners have created small patio areas in their front yards and will compliment it with a few shade trees.  They use a variety of plants in the cactus or succulent family that can be colorful and interesting.  They also might add an intimate seating area ideal for coffee or cocktail visits with their neighbors.

In the west droughts plague the are from time to time.  Everyone should be looking for outdoor landscape ideas that don’t require a lot of watering.  A couple of great plants that provide both color and aroma are rosemary and lavendar.  They will flourish with very little water or care.  In the west a “zero-scape” or hardscape of concrete or stone slab with a water feature could be installed.  This could be a lovely area to share a glass of wine with the neighbors.  

A quick online search will produce tons of info on the type of plants will do well in your area with very little maintenance or water.  You can see photos of drought resistant flowers, shrubs, trees as well as fruits and vegetables. To save money buy four inch pots of the desired plants and place them approximately two feet apart.  They will fill in quickly and look great.