How would you like to have a better-looking yard while using less water, spending less money, AND doing less work? If your answer is yes, you’ll want to know about Texas SmartScape™, the program that encourages strategic landscaping to get the most out of our Texas yards and gardens.

SmartScape promotes the use of water-efficient native plants that flourish in our dry, scorching North Texas summers. Did you know that native and adapted plants typically use up to 80 percent less water than other plants?

SmartScaping has other advantages, too. The right plants attract insects that are beneficial to our yards, and our food supply. Also, because native and adapted plants are more resistant to disease and pests, they need little or no fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticide. So by reducing the use of harsh chemicals, you also help protect our precious water supply—again, while saving you time and money.

The SmartScape website also has some helpful tips. Is it better to raise your plant bed, or have it at ground level? Should mulch be placed in a mound around trees and stems, or made more like a bowl? And what’s the best time of day to water your lawn? Check out their site to get the scoop.

Supported by the North Central Texas Council of Governments and many regional water districts, Texas SmartScape™ is the landscape program specially crafted to be "smart" for Texas, and a great project to get started on before the summer heat comes in full force. Visit their website now to learn how you can get more out of your landscaping—by putting in less!