LOW-WATER LANDSCAPING • BISMARCK, ND
Xeriscaping and Low-Water Yards in Bismarck, ND
Bismarck Landscape designs and installs xeriscapes and low-water yards for homes in Bismarck, Mandan and Lincoln. We shrink thirsty lawn where it doesn’t earn its keep, plant native and drought-tolerant plants, and set up watering so you’re not paying top-tier water rates to keep a dry slope green.
First, a myth to clear up. Xeriscaping doesn’t mean a yard full of rock. New Mexico State University’s xeriscape guide is clear that it doesn’t mean a dry, barren yard, and it isn’t a no-maintenance yard either. It means the right plants in the right spots, with water only where it’s needed.
WHAT WE OFFER
What We Do
- Lawn reduction: turning dry slopes, hot strips and side yards into planted beds
- Native and xeric plantings: perennials, grasses and shrubs that handle our dry spells
- Low-water grass areas with hard fescue or northern-hardy prairie grasses
- Shredded bark mulch in planted beds, and rock only where it belongs
- Sprinkler changes: separate zones for beds and lawn, and smart controllers. See irrigation and sprinklers.
- Soil prep with compost worked into clay
LOCAL CLIMATE
Why Low-Water Yards Make Sense in Bismarck
Bismarck is dry, and it swings hard from year to year. The National Weather Service in Bismarck lists:
| Precipitation | |
|---|---|
| Normal year | 19.05 inches |
| 2019, second-wettest on record | 29.58 inches |
| 2020, third-driest on record | 8.42 inches |
That’s a wet year followed right by one of the driest on record. A yard that only looks good with heavy watering gets expensive fast in a year like 2020.
And watering here isn’t cheap. In 2026, Bismarck charges single-family homes $1.80 per unit for the first 8 units a month, rising to $8.10 per unit above 24 units. Lawn watering is what pushes most homes into those top tiers. See how to lower your summer water bill in Bismarck.
WATER-WISE PLANNING
The 7 Xeriscape Principles, Bismarck Style
New Mexico State University’s guide lists seven xeriscape principles. Here’s how each one plays out on a Bismarck lot.
| Principle | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Planning and design | Group plants by water need. Keep lawn where you use it. |
| Efficient irrigation | Separate zones for beds and lawn. Water early morning, about 1 inch a week on lawns, counting rain. |
| Use of mulch | Shredded bark in beds. NDSU says exposed soil “can lose twice as much moisture as mulched soil.” |
| Soil preparation | Compost into clay. NDSU says never add sand to clay. |
| Appropriate turf | Lawn only where it’s used, and tougher grasses on dry spots |
| Water-efficient plants | Native and xeric plants that handle zone 4a and alkaline soil |
| Appropriate maintenance | Weed while small, top up mulch, mow tall |
BISMARCK PLANTS
Plants That Handle Bismarck Dry Spells
Perennials and Native Plants
NDSU Extension horticulturist Tom Kalb says, “Xeric plants can grow with minimal watering once they are established.” He names:
- Daylily, coneflower and blanket flower
- Sedum, salvia and liatris
- Russian sage, catmint and yarrow
An NDSU Extension horticulture agent in Ward County wrote in April 2026 that “the easiest way” to save water is to plant native plants, because they’re already suited to drier soil. Her picks include little bluestem and big bluestem, prairie smoke, pink wild onion, blanket flower, yucca and black-eyed Susan.
Shrubs
From NDSU Extension’s tough-shrub list:
- Potentilla: native, and NDSU says it “thrives in our harsh climate”
- Rugosa rose: NDSU says these “tolerate heat, drought, salt and wind”
- Juniper: NDSU calls it drought tolerant and able to handle salty soil
Trees
- Bur oak: native and very drought resistant, per the City of Bismarck’s street tree guide
- Hawthorn: listed as drought tolerant in the city’s guide
- Rocky Mountain juniper and eastern red-cedar: NDSU’s tree and shrub guide calls them “very drought resistant and long-lived”
Low-Water Grass
NDSU’s Grass Varieties for North Dakota guide lists:
- Hard fescue, drought and shade tolerant, with Reliant and Aurora “well-suited for low-maintenance turf”
- Buffalograss, used for “dryland landscaping.” NDSU warns that southern varieties from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas lack winter hardiness here.
- Blue grama, for low-maintenance turf
- Crested wheatgrass ‘Fairway’, “frequently used in dryland lawns”
Buffalograss and blue grama are warm-season grasses, so they green up later in spring and brown earlier in fall than bluegrass. See best grass for Bismarck lawns.
SMART BED MATERIALS
Xeriscaping Is Not a Yard Full of Rock
Many people picture xeriscaping as rock over fabric. NDSU warns against that around plants. NDSU calls rock mulch “a heat trap” that can scorch plants and adds drought stress. In his drought column, Kalb says to use wood mulch around trees, shrubs and flowers, and calls rock mulch much less effective.
The better plan: shredded bark in planted beds, and rock for paths, side yards and the first few feet by the house. See rock vs mulch for Bismarck yards.
GETTING ESTABLISHED
Watering While It Gets Started
“Low water” doesn’t mean no water on day one. Xeric plants need regular watering until their roots grow in. NDSU’s drought advice is to water young trees and shrubs first in a dry spell, since “mature trees rarely need irrigation.”
Plan on watering a new planting through its first growing season, then cutting back. That’s also why fall is a smart time to plan and spring a good time to plant.
ESTIMATED SAVINGS
What a Low-Water Yard Can Save
Here’s the math from our water bill guide, using Bismarck’s 2026 rates. A house using 6 units indoors with a 5,000-square-foot lawn watered 1 inch a week uses about 24 units in a summer month. The water use charge comes to about $105.
Turn 2,000 square feet of that lawn into a xeric bed that’s established and no longer watered weekly, and lawn use drops by about 7 units a month. The bill falls to about 17 units, or about $60. That’s roughly $44 a month in peak summer, before the base charges that stay the same.
Install costs depend on the size, the plants and how much lawn comes out. You get a written price after we see the yard. See how much landscaping costs in Bismarck.
In Mandan and Lincoln, the plants and principles are the same, but each city sets its own water rates.
Questions
Xeriscaping FAQ
Answers to common low-water yard questions in Bismarck.
Want help choosing plants?
Call to plan a lower-water yard for your property.
What is xeriscaping?
Xeriscaping is designing a yard to need less water. New Mexico State University lists seven principles: planning and design, efficient irrigation, mulch, soil preparation, appropriate turf, water-efficient plants and appropriate maintenance. It doesn’t mean a barren yard or a no-maintenance one.
Does xeriscaping work in North Dakota?
Yes. Bismarck’s normal precipitation is only about 19 inches a year, and it swings widely, from 29.58 inches in 2019 to 8.42 inches in 2020. Native and xeric plants that handle zone 4a winters and alkaline soil do well here with little water once established.
Is xeriscaping just rocks?
No. NDSU Extension calls rock mulch a heat trap that can scorch plants. A good xeriscape uses shredded bark mulch in planted beds and keeps rock for paths, side yards and the area right by the house.
What are the best drought-tolerant plants for Bismarck?
NDSU Extension names daylily, coneflower, blanket flower, sedum, salvia, liatris, Russian sage, catmint and yarrow. Native picks include little and big bluestem, prairie smoke and black-eyed Susan. For shrubs, potentilla, rugosa rose and juniper. For trees, bur oak and Rocky Mountain juniper.
Can I have a low-water lawn in Bismarck?
Yes, in the right spots. NDSU lists hard fescue, northern-hardy buffalograss, blue grama and Fairway crested wheatgrass for low-maintenance turf. Avoid southern buffalograss varieties, which NDSU says lack winter hardiness here. Prairie grasses green up later and brown earlier than bluegrass.
How much water can xeriscaping save?
It depends on how much lawn you replace. Using Bismarck’s 2026 rates, turning 2,000 square feet of a 5,000-square-foot lawn into an established xeric bed cuts about 7 units a month in summer, saving roughly $44 a month on water use charges for a typical home.
Bismarck Landscape
Plan a Low-Water Yard
Tell us which spots fight you every summer, and we’ll show you what could go there instead. Call Bismarck Landscape to plan a low-water yard.
See our contact options. For a full yard plan, see landscape design in Bismarck.