# Xeriscaping in San Antonio

Canonical page: https://klemabuilders.com/landscaping/xeriscaping

Xeriscape installation in San Antonio: native and adapted plants, decomposed granite and steel edging, with turf replaced where the plan calls for it, quoted fixed-price, line by line, after a free in-home consult. The written quote arrives within 3 to 5 business days. Serving San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country and the I-35 corridor to Austin.

## Options

- **Native plants**: Named on the written plant list.
- **Decomposed granite**: Paths and open ground, steel edged.
- **Steel edging**: Bed lines set in steel.
- **Turf replacement**: Grass out, plants and granite in.

## What replaces the grass

| Option | Use | Upkeep | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native plants (Front yards, slopes, hot beds) | Where nobody needs lawn | Least water, no mowing | Species picked per bed |
| Decomposed granite (Paths and open ground) | Walks and open areas | Loose surface, steel edged | Handles full sun |

## Every xeriscape includes

- Free yard walk: Sun, slope and access checked
- Fixed-price quote: In writing, 3 to 5 business days
- Plant list: Every species and size named
- Turf replacement: Grass removed where beds go
- Watering plan: Written for your address
- HOA package: Prepared and submitted for you

## At a glance

- Xeriscape in San Antonio: native and adapted plants, decomposed granite, steel edging, turf replacement, quoted fixed-price, line by line, after a free in-home consult. The written quote arrives within 3 to 5 business days. Serving San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country and the I-35 corridor to Austin. Rock beds: /landscaping/mulch-and-rock.
- Sun plants: Texas sage, lantana, esperanza, salvia, blackfoot daisy, agave, yucca, Mexican feather grass. Shade under live oaks: turk's cap, inland sea oats, native sedges. Every species and size is on the written plant list.
- Not offered: sprinkler or drip installation or repair. Watering plan is written. The homeowner or a licensed irrigator handles irrigation changes a SAWS coupon requires.
- WaterSaver Landscape Coupons: plants only, not rock, mulch or labor. At least 200 square feet of grass, 15 approved plants, sprinkler heads or drip removed from the bed. Up to four coupons a window, lifetime cap eight. Dates and amounts change each season; check the program page (https://www.gardenstylesanantonio.com/coupons-rebates/watersaver-landscape-coupon/). Klema removes grass and preps the bed. Klema does not apply for the coupon.
- Drought: Stage 2 and Stage 3, hand-held hose any time, drip Monday and Friday (Sec. 34-332, https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH34WASE_ARTIVDRMAWACORE). No extra watering days for replaced turf (https://www.saws.org/thinking-about-new-grass-think-again/). Stage 3 new landscapes must be less than half turf unless SAWS approves a plan. Variance for extra watering is new construction only (https://www.saws.org/conservation/drought-restrictions/variance-requests/landscape-variance/).
- Decomposed granite is a loose surface. Steel edging holds the line. A hard rain can shift it.

## Questions and answers

### Does Klema Builders install xeriscapes in San Antonio?

Yes. Klema Builders installs xeriscape across San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country and the I-35 corridor to Austin: native and adapted plants, decomposed granite and steel edging, including beds where turf comes out. Every species and size is named on a written plant list. You get a written watering plan. Sprinklers and drip are not installed or repaired. The work is quoted fixed-price, line by line, after a free in-home consult, and the written quote arrives within 3 to 5 business days.

### How much does it cost to xeriscape a yard in San Antonio?

The price of a xeriscape in San Antonio depends on how much turf comes out, the plant count and sizes, and how much granite and edging the beds take. Klema Builders does not publish a price list: after a free in-home consult you get a written fixed-price quote, line by line, within 3 to 5 business days, and that quote is the total you pay. Plants, granite and edging are separate lines. Rock beds are on the mulch and rock page.

### What plants do you use in a San Antonio xeriscape?

The plant list is built bed by bed from each bed's sun, soil and water. A plant list contains the species, the size, the count and the bed for every plant. Klema Builders writes that list into the quote before work starts. The list is native and adapted plants for San Antonio, chosen for that bed rather than a single yard-wide set. Shade beds and full-sun beds get different lines. The sun and shade species Klema Builders starts from are listed on the landscaping page at /landscaping.

### What are the downsides of xeriscaping?

You give up lawn where people and dogs play. Keep sod there, and use xeriscape on front yards, hot side yards and slopes. Decomposed granite is a loose surface, not pavement: steel edging holds the bed line, and a hard rain can shift it until it settles. Plants still need water while they root. The watering plan says how, and Klema Builders does not install or repair sprinklers or drip. Mulch and rock are on the mulch and rock page.

### Can you do the bed work for a SAWS WaterSaver coupon?

Klema Builders can remove the grass and prep the bed. The coupon belongs to the SAWS account holder, and Klema Builders does not apply for it. Dates and amounts change each season; check the program page. Each coupon needs at least 200 square feet of grass removed and 15 approved plants, 1 gallon or larger, planted in the ground. Coupons pay for plants only, not rock, mulch or labor. Up to four coupons a window, eight over the life of the account. The homeowner, or a licensed irrigator, removes sprinkler heads or drip in that bed. Source: Garden Style San Antonio (https://www.gardenstylesanantonio.com/coupons-rebates/watersaver-landscape-coupon/).

### How do drought rules affect a new xeriscape bed?

During Stage 2 and Stage 3, a hand-held hose is allowed any time, and drip may run Monday and Friday (City Code Sec. 34-332). Klema Builders writes the watering plan and does not install the drip. In Stage 3, a new landscape (an area with no plants now) must be less than half turf unless SAWS approves a plan. Replacing turf is a different case: SAWS does not grant extra watering days for replaced grass. Keep a sod lawn only where it earns the water. Source: Sec. 34-332 (https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH34WASE_ARTIVDRMAWACORE); SAWS on replaced turf (https://www.saws.org/thinking-about-new-grass-think-again/).

### What happens to decomposed granite when it rains?

It is loose rock, not a slab. Water can move the fines on a slope or in a hard rain. Klema Builders sets steel edging on the bed line and checks at the yard walk that the grade sends water away from the house. The quote lists the granite and the edging separately. Rock beds are on the mulch and rock page.

### Is a xeriscape the same as a new landscape under SAWS rules?

Not always. City Code Sec. 34-271 says a new landscape is a contiguous area where plants go in and no plants exist now. Adding plants to an existing bed is not a new landscape for the establishment variance. Stage 3 limits a new landscape to less than half turf unless SAWS approves a plan (Sec. 34-332). The SAWS variance page says that extra-watering variance is for new construction only. Source: Sec. 34-271 and Sec. 34-332 (https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH34WASE_ARTIVDRMAWACORE); SAWS variance page (https://www.saws.org/conservation/drought-restrictions/variance-requests/landscape-variance/).

Every Klema Builders project comes with pass-through manufacturer warranties (Trex up to 50 years, TimberTech up to 50, Fiberon up to 30, Azenco up to 25) registered in the homeowner's name at the walk-through.

## Related

- [Landscaping](https://klemabuilders.com/landscaping)
- [Sod installation](https://klemabuilders.com/landscaping/sod-installation)
- [Mulch and rock](https://klemabuilders.com/landscaping/mulch-and-rock)
- [Patios and pavers](https://klemabuilders.com/patios-and-pavers)
- [Decks](https://klemabuilders.com/decks)
- [Fencing](https://klemabuilders.com/fencing)

## Contact

- Phone: (210) 974-1420 (Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM)
- Email: hello@klemabuilders.com
- Based in: San Antonio, TX
- Service area: San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country and the I-35 corridor to Austin
- Free in-home consult, fixed-price quote line by line within 3 to 5 business days.
- Get a quote: https://klemabuilders.com/get-quote