Add small evergreen shrubs

Smaller evergreen shrubs, 2 to 3 feet, add structure and beauty to your landscape.  And most require little care. A few examples are Soft Caress Mahonia (zones 7-9), Fire Chief Arborvitae (zones 5-8), Autumn Royalty Encore Azalea (zones 6 to 9), Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce (zones 3-8), Dwarf English Boxwood (zones 5-9).

Use drought tolerant plants

When summer heat kicks in, drought tolerant plants make a low-maintenance, water-wise, yet still attractive landscape for sunny areas.   A few evergreen shrubs that are drought tolerant: Blue Star Juniper, & Wax Leaf Ligustrum.  Many Nandina and Boxwood shrubs are also considered drought tolerant.

Consider ground covers versus grass.

Ground covers are another low maintenance landscape solution that can reduce watering needs and mowing time.  Consider combining several small beds to a large one to reduce the amount of grass you need to maintain.  View evergreen ground covers.

Create beds of mulch.

Invest in establishing beds of mulch instead of grass, especially in areas where grass struggles to thrive. It also works well around any outdoor living spaces.  It is attractive and saves you the hassle of trying to keep the lawn nice and neat around the edges of your hardscapes. Since there’s no watering, weeding and obviously mowing, it is very low maintenance. Mulch also breaks down, providing essential nutrients to your soil.

Consider dwarf trees

Slow growing dwarf trees are generally very easy to care for.  There are a variety of dwarf trees to enjoy including a few dwarf citrus trees. Plant them in containers in colder climates & bring them indoors in winter. Just keep them near a sunny window. You'll be rewarded with winter blooms that will fill a room with a wonderful citrus aroma. The best selling citrus tree is the Dwarf Meyer Lemon. Other popular dwarf evergreen trees include  Dwarf White Pine, Bearrs Lime, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Weeping Blue Spruce.