Planning Your Garden 

• Drought-resistant, native turf, plants and shrubs are easiest to maintain.
• Let plants grow naturally instead of pruning them into balls or other shapes.
• Choose plants, shrubs and trees that require little irrigation and that fit in with the landscape to minimize pruning.
• Different plants have different water needs. Try grouping plants that share the same water requirements together.
• Minimize the use of slopes in your yard. Also, practice intermittent watering to allow enough time for water absorption.

Making Use of Microclimates

• Some areas of your yard will naturally be hotter and drier or cooler and wetter than others. Use plants that make use of these natural assets. For example, plant cacti or yucca in very hot, dry spots, rather than using large amounts of water on thirsty plants that may not be suited to such a location.
• Ask at your garden centre if the plants you are buying will thrive in a given microclimate.

Best Drought-Tolerant Plants

Conserving Water with Mulch 

• Mulch helps reduce evaporation, lower soil temperature and control weeds.
• Loose mulch makes for better soil drainage, which gets the water to the roots where it's needed.

Container Gardening

• Container gardening is a great way to add variety to your garden. Consider using drought-resistant succulents in your containers to further cut down on your water usage.
• Containers come in all shapes and sizes and can be made of ceramic, terracotta, metal, rubber, and plastic. Your major consideration should be size and shape to make sure there is enough room for the potting mix and the number of plants you want to grow. 
• Make sure your container has holes for drainage.
• Containers made of unglazed clay tend to let the soil dry out faster than those made of other materials.
• Be aware of how far each plant will spread during the growing season. For example, succulents won't spread far, so plant close together.

Growing Succulents

• Succulents are excellent choices for drought-resistant gardens as they require minimal care throughout the growing season. They store moisture in their fleshy leaves, stems and roots and are excellent choices for hot, dry spaces in your yard. 
• Tender succulents need to be moved indoors for winter, but require very little care. An unheated garage is a perfect spot.
• Acclimate your succulents to outdoor conditions by moving the container outside on warm spring days. Once night frosts are no longer a concern, you can leave your container garden outdoors for the remainder of the season.

Cold-tolerant succulents

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’	Sedum ‘Blue Spruce’
Sedum ‘Frosty Morn’	Sedum acre Goldmoss Stonecrop
Sedum ewersii Stonecrop	Sedum kamtschaticum Russian Stonecrop
Sedum spathulifolium Cape Blanco	Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant' Showy Stonecrop
Sedum spurium Two Row Stonecrop	Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’
Sempervivum spp. 'Hen and Chicks'	Sempervivum arachnoideum ‘Rubrum’

 

Tender succulents

Cotyledon ‘Chalk Stick Fingers’	Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’
Echeveria Echeveria	Sedum ‘Jelly Beans’

 

Creating a Container Water Garden

• Many water plants will grow well in containers if you don't want to commit to a water feature in your yard.
• Pick a container that is watertight and will not rust.
• Be vigilant about replacing water as it evaporates.
• If you want to add fish to your water feature, make sure your container will hold at least 19 litres (5 gallons).
• Pick a sunny spot. Water gardens need at least 6 hours of sun per day.
• Choose a variety of plants. Make sure you take each plant's depth requirements into consideration.
• Use a pump and blue pond tints to help keep algae under control.

Recommended Water Plants

Ceratophyllum demersum Hornwort	Cyperus ‘King Tut’
Cyperus involucratus Umbrella Plant	Eichornia crassipes Water Hyacinth
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae Frogbit	Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides Pennywort
Hygrophilla ‘Scarlet’	Lemna Duckweed
Lysimachia nummularia Golden Creeping Jenny	Myriophyllum aquaticum Parrot feather
Nymphaea Water Lily	Pistia Stratiotes Water Lettuce