A closer look

Plants used: agapanthus ‘Lily of the Nile,’ foxtail agave, butterfly bush, Texas sundrop, gold medallion tree, paddle plant, purple lantana, lantana ‘Radiation,’ green cloud Texas ranger, sea lavender/statice, Little Ollie dwarf olive, yellow Jerusalem sage, plumeria, cape plumbago, ‘Santa Barbara,’ society garlic ‘Silver lace,’ rock purslane, blue chalksticks, bougainvillea, crassula campfire. Most came from Evergreen Nursery.

Costs and any rebates: Spent approximately $35,000 on initial landscaping and received a $7,325 rebate from the Socal Watersmart Program of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Who did the work: Kyle Shelton of Boulder Landscapes, boulderlandscapessd.com

How long it took: About 30 days of work, with Shelton and three to four workers most days.

Water savings: The overall water bill for front and back yard is reduced by 30 percent; for just the front yard, the percentage is higher. Savings for summer months only, from June to September, is estimated at 68 percent.

Advice: “If you are like me who knew nothing about gardening or landscaping, you can still make a change with the help of the Landscape Makeover Program the water districts have. After four classes, I was able to name and pick out waterwise plants I liked, choose an appropriate irrigation method, design a landscape that works for me and my daughter, and importantly, know what questions and requests to ask of a landscaper — if using one — to make sure the project stays true to what you learn in class.”