Not everyone wants to spend their summer fighting to keep a high-maintenance lawn alive in triple-digit heat. The good news is there are some smart, low budget landscaping choices you can do yourself that look great, reduce your water bill, and actually hold up through a Central Texas summer without constant attention.

Here are Corey's top five favorite ideas to consider.

Utilize Native Ground Covers

Texas native ground covers like Turk's cap, prairie verbena, and creeping Jenny are adapted to our climate and soil. They spread naturally, require little supplemental watering once established, and provide color and texture in areas where grass struggles — like under trees or on slopes where mowing is difficult.

Adding Rock Mulch in High-Stress Areas

Areas that bake in direct sun all day are some of the hardest spots to maintain grass. Replacing those areas with decorative rock mulch, like granite, river rock, or decomposed granite, will eliminate the watering and mowing burden while still looking clean and intentional.

It also helps with drainage.

Adding Drought-Tolerant Shrubs Along Borders

Drought-tolerant shrubs like Texas sage, lantana, yaupon holly, and dwarf wax myrtle are workhorses in Central Texas landscaping. They provide structure and greenery with minimal watering and almost no maintenance once established. A well-placed border of native shrubs can define your yard beautifully without the constant upkeep.

Making Expanded Mulched Bed Areas

If you have trees or large landscape features, expanding the mulched bed area around them reduces the grass you have to maintain, protects tree roots from mower damage, and retains soil moisture.

A generous mulch bed looks intentional and polished and saves significant time and water.

Creating Buffalo Grass Zones for Low-Traffic Areas

If you have areas of your yard that don't get heavy foot traffic, like a side yard, a back corner, consider transitioning to buffalo grass. It's native to Texas, requires far less water and mowing than Bermuda or St. Augustine, and still looks like a lawn. It's not for high-traffic areas, but it's perfect for low-use zones.

Let the Evans Experts Help You Plan

Making changes to your landscape is exactly the kind of custom project Evans Lawn Care loves to help with. Whether you want to clear an area and start fresh or just make a few strategic changes to reduce your maintenance load, give us a call and let's talk about what makes sense for your property.