A yard that looks good and doesn't need babysitting to stay that way.
VHS Outdoor Living designs and installs xeriscapes for San Antonio homeowners. A xeriscape is a landscape built around native and drought-tolerant plants, boulders, and textured ground cover. It's designed to look good and stay that way without constant upkeep. We've been designing yards in San Antonio since 1999 and know which plants grow in this soil and climate. Every xeriscape is planned for the property, your style, and how you want to use the space.
Why Xeriscape?
Keeping a big lawn happy in San Antonio can feel like a losing battle. It takes regular watering through a long growing season, can struggle through drought and heavy shade, and requires ongoing mowing, edging, and maintenance. A xeriscape flips that. The right native and drought-tolerant plants need less supplemental irrigation once they're established and are better suited to our heat and dry spells. Done right, xeriscape gives you layers instead of lawn. Native grasses that move in the wind, flowering plants, limestone boulders, and ground covers that change throughout the year. And none of it needs you every weekend.
Xeriscape Doesn't Mean Zero
Not Zero Water
New plants still need consistent water while they establish, and even established xeriscapes may need supplemental irrigation during extended dry periods.
Not Zero Plants
Xeriscape doesn't mean replacing the lawn with a sea of gravel. Grasses, flowering perennials, shrubs, groundcovers, boulders, and stone can create layers of color and texture.
Not Zero Grass
You don't have to eliminate every blade of lawn. We often keep grass where it makes sense, for play, pets, or bare feet, and xeriscape the areas where lawn isn't doing much for you.
Not Zero Work
Less maintenance isn't no maintenance. Plants still need occasional pruning and cleanup, weeds happen, and beds need attention. The goal is a yard that asks less of you.
Less Lawn. More Landscape.
Xeriscape Services for South Texas Yards
Layered combinations of grasses, flowering plants, shrubs, and groundcovers selected for the sun, soil, water, and maintenance needs of your yard.
Native & Texas-Adapted Planting
Layered combinations of grasses, flowering plants, shrubs, and groundcovers selected for the sun, soil, water, and maintenance needs of your yard.
Rock & Ground Cover
Layered combinations of grasses, flowering plants, shrubs, and groundcovers selected for the sun, soil, water, and maintenance needs of your yard.
Boulders & Natural Stone
Remove lawn where it isn't earning its keep and replace it with planting, stone, paths, or ground cover while keeping grass in the areas where you actually use it.
Lawn-to-Xeriscape Conversions
Drip irrigation puts water where the plants need it without watering large areas of rock or ground cover. We can install or modify irrigation as part of the xeriscape project.
Drip Irrigation
Drought-tolerant doesn't mean tolerant of bad planting conditions. We prepare and amend the soil where needed so new plants have a better foundation to establish and grow.
Soil Preparation
What Does a Xeriscape Cost in San Antonio?
Price Range:
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Front yard xeriscape: starting around $10,000
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Full yard conversion: starting around $25,000
Pricing depends on the size of the area, the materials selected, existing site conditions, and whether drip irrigation is included.
What affects the price:
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Square footage of area being addressed
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Existing plant removal and haul-off
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Soil amendments, drainage corrections, or grading work
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Plant material selections and quantities
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Irrigation involvement
Can I xeriscape only part of my yard?
Absolutely. You don't have to convert the entire yard at once. Many homeowners keep lawn where they actually use it and replace harder-to-maintain or less-used areas with planting, stone, and ground cover.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Will it look like a pile of rocks with a cactus in the middle? San Antonio's native plant palette has plenty of color, texture, and seasonal interest. We layer plants at different heights and work in limestone boulders and mixed rock to create a landscape that feels full and intentional.
How long does it take for a xeriscape to get established? Most native and drought-tolerant plants need regular watering while their root systems get established. How long that takes depends on the plant, season, and site conditions. Once established, they generally need much less supplemental irrigation. We'll walk you through what your specific plants need after installation.
Does xeriscaping work in a shaded yard? Yes, though plant selection shifts. Turk's cap, inland sea oats, and certain native groundcovers perform well under San Antonio's live oak canopy. Full-sun plants won't thrive in shade. We select specifically for your conditions.
Related Services
Drip Irrigation
The most efficient way to water a xeriscape. Delivers directly to root zones with less evaporation or overspray. We often install drip as part of the xeriscape build.
