Xeriscape services
Xeriscaping and Florida-Friendly Landscaping in Tampa Bay
4.7 170+ Google reviewsFree on-site estimatesOver 35 years creating Florida-friendly landscapes
We trade thirsty lawn for planted beds, mulch, river rock and gravel, laid out around how you use the yard.
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Xeriscaping in Florida means a yard built to need less water, with living plants rather than bare rock: lawn kept where you use it, plants grouped by how much water they need, and beds finished in mulch, river rock or gravel. Medscapes designs and installs xeriscapes from its base in Wesley Chapel across Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, from one side-yard bed to a whole front yard. Doug walks the yard with you, and we run a sprinkler check before we draw the plan.
- Lawn watering
- One day a week under the SWFWMD order, as of November 2026
- Bed watering
- By hand or micro-irrigation any day, before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
- Your HOA
- Florida law protects Florida-friendly yards (FS 373.185)
- Estimate
- Free and on site
What's included in a Medscapes xeriscape
We plan and install each conversion as one job. It covers:
- A site plan that notes sun, shade, slopes and where rainwater sits
- Sprinkler check: we run every zone and mark coverage gaps and spray landing on paving
- A bed layout drawn around the lawn you keep
- Unwanted turf stripped out, roots and all, and taken away
- Soil loosened and improved where new plants will root
- Plants grouped by how much water and light they need
- Beds edged and finished in mulch, river rock or pea gravel, with boulders where the plan calls for them
Does xeriscaping mean a yard of rock and cactus?
No. Xeriscaping, sometimes heard as zeroscaping, doesn't mean zero lawn or a desert look. A Tampa Bay xeriscape keeps grass where kids, dogs and feet need it and turns the rest into beds of drought-tolerant shrubs, ground cover and ornamental plants.
Each bed gets a finish chosen for its spot: mulch around deeper planting, river rock or pea gravel along a drive or in a narrow side yard. Boulders give a bed a focal point without adding anything to water.
UF/IFAS takes the same view. Its Florida-Friendly Landscaping program does not promote all-rock yards, which add heat and can cost wildlife its habitat. It suggests rock as an accent in planted beds, or under a roof edge to soften the fall of rain.
Which parts of your yard should stay lawn?
Outdoor watering accounts for more than half the water households use, SWFWMD says, which is why its order limits lawns. In a UF/IFAS side-by-side comparison, a yard of 25% lawn and 75% beds used 84% less irrigation water than one of 75% lawn, and the year's upkeep time came out about the same.
Lawns and beds follow different watering rules, and the grasses we install differ in how they handle drought, shade and feet. How they compare with a planted bed:
| Compared on | St. Augustine lawn | Zoysia lawn | Bermuda lawn | Bed with mulch or rock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watering under the SWFWMD order (as of November 2026) | One day a week | One day a week | One day a week | Any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., by hand or micro-irrigation |
| Drought tolerance (UF/IFAS) | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Not rated in our sources |
| Shade (UF/IFAS) | Good to excellent, by cultivar | Good to excellent, by cultivar | Poor | Not rated in our sources |
| Foot traffic (UF/IFAS) | Poor to fair | Good to excellent | Excellent | Not rated in our sources |
| Mowing height (UF/IFAS) | 2 to 4 in | 0.25 to 2.5 in | 0.5 to 2 in | Not mowed |
An excellent drought rating means the grass survives dry spells by going dormant, not that it stays green on less water (UF/IFAS). Zoysia and St. Augustine lawns also do not perform as well without extra watering in dry periods.
For a patch that stays lawn but needs replanting, our sod installation page compares the St. Augustine cultivars, zoysia and Bermuda we lay.
Sources: UF/IFAS Extension LH005, turfgrass comparison; UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping FAQs; SWFWMD water shortage FAQs (revised October 12, 2026); SWFWMD water restrictions.
Watering rules for a Tampa Bay xeriscape (as of November 2026)
SWFWMD's Modified Phase III order allows lawn watering one day a week in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas, and the District has extended it through March 31, 2027. Your day comes from the last digit of your address: 0 or 1 Monday, 2 or 3 Tuesday, 4 or 5 Wednesday, 6 or 7 Thursday, 8 or 9 Friday. Sprinklers may run from 12:01 to 4 a.m. or 8 to 11:59 p.m., and a property under one acre uses one of those windows.
- Plant beds
- Hand watering, micro-irrigation and soaker hoses for plants, not lawns, are allowed any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
- New plants
- A new landscape gets 60 days to establish: water it any day for days 1 to 30, then three days a week for days 31 to 60, and keep a written schedule.
- City of Tampa
- You may hand water or micro-irrigate shrubs, palms, groundcover and other plants that are not lawn any day from midnight to 8 a.m. or 6 to 11:59 p.m., once a day. The city has enforced watering rules year-round since 1992.
- Tampa's FLIP rebate
- The city's Florida-Friendly Landscaping Incentive Program (FLIP), built with UF/IFAS Extension and Hillsborough County, aims to replace up to 500 square feet of irrigated lawn. Residents who finish its three workshops and install their approved design can apply for a rebate on qualified expenses; the next workshops are set for March to May 2027, dates tentative.
- Pinellas
- Pinellas County Utilities customers water on days set by their address and which side of SR 580 they live on. Customers of a city or other municipal water supplier follow that supplier's schedule.
- Reclaimed water
- SWFWMD sets only voluntary hours for reclaimed water unless your local government or utility restricts it. Unincorporated Hillsborough allows it any day, outside 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- After the 2023 order
- The District rescinded its 2023 water shortage order in October 2024, and Pasco County and the City of Tampa kept one-day-a-week watering by local ordinance.
- Cold nights
- USDA zones run 9b inland, 10a near the bay and Gulf, and 10b in south Pinellas, so a plant's cold rating matters more in Wesley Chapel than near the coast.
Sources: SWFWMD water restrictions; SWFWMD news release, October 22, 2024; City of Tampa watering days and hours; City of Tampa FLIP; Hillsborough County watering days and times; Pinellas County watering schedule; USDA plant hardiness zone map.
How is xeriscaping different in Florida?
Xeriscape was developed for arid climates with little rain, and UF/IFAS calls that arid model inappropriate for Florida, where conditions swing between extreme wet and dry. Its Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ program, a "very different" concept in UF/IFAS's words, adds stormwater filtration and water quality to water saving.
SWFWMD's rainfall figures show both extremes: about 60% of the year's rain falls from June through September, and October through May averages about 3 inches a month.
So a Medscapes xeriscape keeps living plants at its center: beds grouped by water need, mulch or rock around them, and lawn left where it is the right plant, which UF/IFAS allows in a Florida-friendly yard. The program's name belongs to UF/IFAS, and using it here is not an endorsement.
Our guide to Florida-friendly landscaping walks through the program's nine principles, from right plant, right place to protecting the waterfront, and what each asks of a Tampa Bay yard.
Sources: UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping FAQs; SWFWMD rainfall cycle.
Can your HOA stop you from xeriscaping?
Not outright, if the plan fits Florida-friendly landscaping as FS 373.185 defines it: landscapes that conserve water, protect the environment, suit local conditions and tolerate drought. Under that statute a deed restriction, covenant or local ordinance may not prohibit it, and FS 720.3075 applies the same rule to HOA documents.
What your HOA can still ask
UF/IFAS notes that the law leaves architectural review in place, so where your deed restrictions require board approval, you still need it. Ask what the board needs to see before work starts; our Florida-friendly landscaping guide sets out both statutes and the review process in full.
While the watering order lasts
As of November 2026, SWFWMD's order bars HOAs from enforcing standards that would make you use more water, including "requiring a homeowner to replace plant material" for looks. That protection ends when the order does.
Sources: FS 373.185 (2026 Florida Statutes); FS 720.3075 (2026 Florida Statutes); UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping FAQs; SWFWMD water restrictions.
How a Medscapes xeriscape conversion works
Free on-site estimate
Doug walks the yard with you, hears what you want to stop watering and mowing, and writes the quote himself.
Plan
We mark the lawn that stays and the beds that replace the rest. Hand sketches are free on approved projects; 2D and 3D designs are priced per project.
Turf out
The unwanted lawn comes out and we haul it away.
Soil and edges
We loosen and improve the soil in each bed, then set the edges between beds, lawn and paving.
Plant and finish
Plants go in where the plan puts them, then mulch, river rock or pea gravel goes down around them.
Looking after a xeriscape
A xeriscape still needs some care. New plants need regular water until they root, inside the 60-day allowance above, and mature beds want seasonal pruning and a fresh layer of mulch as the old one breaks down.
Rock needs raking and re-edging where it drifts into the lawn or onto a drive. As beds fill in, the shrub nearest a walk or a window needs trimming back to keep its shape.
Choosing a xeriscaping company in Tampa Bay
When you compare xeriscaping companies, ask who writes the quote and who does the planting. Our answers:
- Doug Wilson, our Director of Operations, quotes each yard after walking it
- One company designs and installs it
- Licensed and insured
- Based in Wesley Chapel
- References available on request
Xeriscaping in Wesley Chapel and across Tampa Bay
From our base in Wesley Chapel, we design and install residential xeriscapes across Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. That includes Lutz, Land O' Lakes, Odessa and Keystone, New Tampa and Tampa. Inside City of Tampa limits the city's watering rules apply; elsewhere the District's order and your county or water utility set them.
Rock, gravel and planting from our jobs
River-rock beds, gravel borders and new planting at Medscapes jobs. Swipe or drag to browse, select any photo to enlarge it, and find more in the gallery.
What customers say about their new planting
4.7170+ reviews on GoogleI am so happy with all the work Doug, Chris, and all the guys have done to our new home. A complete redo of plants, removal of mulch replaced by rock(best idea ever!!), and planting of magnolias and Bismarck palms!! My yard is gorgeous Florida landscape now!! …
Jane Pavlicek Google review, 2021
Doug & his team listen, interpret and work their magic. They turned a barren back yard into warm, beautiful, grandchild-friendly natural-looking zones. Crews are efficient, careful, thorough and personable. WOW every time Medscapes provides a service.
Mary Jane Gwyn Google review, 2022
Our prior landscaping was overgrown and over 20 years old. We hired Medscapes to remove all the old landscaping around our house and replant with new plants and trees. Medscapes did a great job – they worked extremely hard and delivered on everything they said they would do. …
Michael Rosenblum Google review, 2025
Doug’s knowledge of the plants and skill in picking out healthy, beautiful landscaping and design… he listened to our vision and turned our landscaping into reality. Final results… just beautiful and well done. You won’t be disappointed — fair pricing too!
Ron Connor Google review, 2024
I hired MedScapes earlier this year for some landscaping around my home and it turned out fantastic from design to ease of care is exactly what I asked for. When life and a new job got too busy for me to keep up with my basic lawn care, MedScapes was there to handle it for me. Now I come home to a beautifully manicured yard weekly !! …
Ryann Roser Google review, 2024
We had a Great Experience with Medscapes. Doug was amazing! He worked with us on a Landscaping design of our entire front and side yards. He made lots of suggestions on plants he would recommend. He and his team selected the plants, and installed them. They worked with us on any tweaks we wanted to make after the install. …
Phyllis Sacone Google review, 2023
Greg and Doug and the their crew have done a wonderful job with our lawn and landscaping. Having just moved here from out of state, I had called around to a few different companies and really didn’t feel like anyone was that interested in working with me to make my yard both look good and be easy to maintain. …
Vanessa Mintz Google review, 2023
I moved into my house in July 2022, and it desperately needed landscaping and some curb appeal. Medscapes was one of the few landscaping companies that actually responsed and showed up for an estimate. …
Danielle Brant Google review, 2022
Xeriscaping questions
Not answered here? Call (813) 382-5801 or book a free on-site estimate.
What affects the cost of xeriscaping a yard?
How much lawn comes out, how many plants go in and at what size, the rock or mulch and its depth, soil work and edging, and how easily equipment reaches the yard. We price each yard after a free on-site visit, so we don't quote by phone.
Can you xeriscape part of a yard?
Yes. It can be one problem area, such as a strip along the drive, a shaded side yard or the bed by the front door, while the rest of the lawn stays.
Is xeriscaping the same as Florida-Friendly Landscaping?
No. UF/IFAS calls them "very different concepts": xeriscape was developed for arid climates, and its Florida-Friendly Landscaping program's nine principles also cover wildlife, stormwater and the waterfront. A Florida yard can still keep lawn where grass is the right plant.
Will you add drip irrigation or move sprinklers for the new beds?
No. We don't install, convert or repair irrigation, so drip lines and sprinkler changes go to a licensed irrigation contractor. Our sprinkler check shows them, and you, where the water lands today.
Who offers maintenance once the xeriscape is in?
We do. Medscapes offers full-service lawn maintenance on 40-week and 50-week plans, so the company that planted the yard keeps it tidy.
Can you plan a xeriscape around big trees?
Yes. Shade under big trees can be hard on grass: UF/IFAS says Floratam, the most widely produced St. Augustine, does not persist well with less than 6 hours of sun a day. We offer tree consultations, and the tree work itself goes to a subcontractor.
Do you call 811 or pull permits for a xeriscape?
We call Sunshine 811 before digging on every job that needs it, and we pull any permit your job requires.
When is the best time to xeriscape in Tampa Bay?
Plant in the summer rainy season if you can. SWFWMD's FAQs on the current order advise waiting until June to replace lawn and landscape, since new plants need a lot of water to establish and March, April and May are the driest months. Start sooner and the District's 60-day establishment allowance for new plants applies, as of November 2026.
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Book a free xeriscape estimate
Tell us which parts of the yard you are tired of watering and mowing. We will walk them with you and put the change in writing.
- 1Call or book online
- 2Doug walks the yard with you
- 3You get a written quote
Book a free on-site estimateCall (813) 382-5801
Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM · Based in Wesley Chapel