More than half the water we use is for our lawns. That's a lot of money down the drain. We’ve got some advice to save both environmentally and financially.

Think of it as a "trickle down" effect. The more water you save, the more money you save. It's an easy equation that has an environmental answer: xeriscaping.

That's landscaping using native plants and less water. You'll have to invest in the less-thirsty plants up front.

But later, it could pay off. Landscaper Warren Reid, "Some xeriscaping plants are more expensive than others because a xeriscaping plant means it's drought tolerant.  the number one way it's drought tolerant is it usually grows slower and has deeper roots.  which, on the retail side it took someone a longer time to grow that plant."

But that means less watering and weeding. So what do you plant? Yucca is a xeriscaping staple.

It barely needs water to survive. But, don't worry, not all xeriscaping plants look like cactus. "A lot of perennials are in that category ... salvia, sages, even some of the herbs fall into that category.  thyme and things like that are in that xeriscaping or drought-tolerant plants," added Reid.

It's not all about plants though. Xeriscaping actually helps animals too. Teacher and Naturalist Jeremiah Bonilla said, "If we can, by xeriscaping, use plants that are native to our region, then we allow the native wildlife to continue to live."

Plus, xeriscape plants don't usually need a lot of fertilizer or pesticides. That's fewer chemicals in the environment. It also means fewer dollars spent at the store.

You can also xeriscape with trees. Try white poplars, chinaberrys, figs or junipers.