Spurlock's garden is a low-maintenance oasis

We have lived in our home since 1996. At the time we moved in we landscaped the yard with grass and large flower beds. We went on vacation one very hot July and came home to find the lawn in the backyard had died (the front was watered by a neighbor). The only plants that survived were two potato plants Pam had been given for Mother's Day. Instead of re-sodding the yard we decided to turn it into the low-maintenance retreat we now have.