The byword these days is sustainability, and that includes in your landscaping. Xeriscaping has become a very popular landscaping style for just that reason. Xeriscaping isn't about zero landscaping but actually about protecting the soil from erosion with rock and drought-resistant plants. Design a low-water rock garden that complements your home.

Succulent Boulder

If you want a relatively subtle rock garden for your yard, consider adorning a boulder with succulents. For this project, you need a boulder with large cracks in the surface. Place it in a central location in your yard that gets full sun. Choose a selection of hens and chicks as well as other succulents for the ground. Mix fine gravel and potting soil together, and place this in the cracks. Plant the hens and chicks in the soil, and add more around the boulder, mixing them with your other chosen succulents. You can also use a low-water plant such as heuchera to draw attention and add color to your boulder garden.

Cactus Garden

Another very low-water rock garden design involves cactuses. Sunset Magazine describes a cactus garden that mixes boulders and gravel as well. For this type of garden, choose some large rocks with color and landscaping gravel that complements the façade of your home. Arrange this in a sunny spot. Wherever you're going to plant the cactuses, spread a potting soil made especially for them. The magazine recommends planting barrel and columnar cactus, Mexican blue fan palms, and Yucca rostrata. Other attractive cactuses include saguaro, cholla, totem pole, and organ pipe. Choose cactuses of various sizes and shapes for the most visual appeal.

Wildflower Garden

If you would like flowers in your yard, a wildflower garden works well. Again, you'll start with boulders or large rocks. For this garden, choose gray or charcoal boulders to set off the wildflower colors. Place them artfully in your backyard, trying to mimic rock that's fallen naturally. From there, you can sprinkle a wildflower mix in potting soil around the rocks. Because wildflower mixes are composed of drought-resistant flowers, your garden won't require much watering.

Prairie Garden

In that vein, you could create a planting bed with prairie plants. This plan works well for a raised planting bed. Start with potting soil topped with pea gravel. From there, choose a selection of ornamental grasses and wildflowers. For this garden, you'll need to choose the flowers yourself rather than sprinkle seeds. Violet star, gentiana septemfida, aubrieta and bellflower are all low-water flowers that grow well in rocky soil. Arrange the flowers with a backdrop of the ornamental grasses for a dramatic prairie garden.

Utilize landscape rocks and drought-resistant plants to create beautiful xeriscaping in your yard.