1.  Use drought tolerant plants. “Drought tolerant” means low water using.  It does not necessarily eliminate the need for supplemental irrigation. Use Sunset’s Western Garden Book as a guide.

2.  Group plantings according to water needs. Create cool, watered, oasis zones near the “people places”, such as the house, the patio and the pool.  Use water efficient natives and Mediterranean-type plants farther from these areas.

3. Eliminate or reduce lawn areas.  Lawns are the reason for the greatest outlay of water and chemicals in the residential garden.  I have read that Americans spend $30,000,000,000 a year on their lawns.  For areas where you really need and will use a lawn, Dwarf Tall Fescues such as Bonsai, Mustang, and Medallion seem to be the most drought tolerant of traditional sod lawns.  Better yet, try some of our native grasses and let them grow into a natural meadow.

4. Use water-retaining soil improvers. Gypsum and lime added to clay soils will improve drainage. Perlite, pumice, and vermiculite improve texture.  Rock dust adds trace minerals and you can never have too much humus (decomposed organic material).  From my experience, there is no naturally occurring soil imbalance that cannot be corrected with humus!

5. Use large areas of permeable pavings instead of lawn or concrete. This allows rainwater to percolate into your soil and plantings rather than going down the drains.  Use gravel, decomposed granite, brick or stone in sand, flagstone or cobbles inter planted with grass or small-scale ground covers

6.  Limit the size of water features.  A small wall fountain can make a big statement.  The gardens of Spain have traditionally used water with brilliant economy, and should be studied by anyone interested in water efficient garden design.