You may have heard of term xeriscaping and imagined landscapes with rocks and gravel, cacti and succulent plants, no turf or irrigation. These are some of the misconceptions leading many to believe that xeriscaping is not possible in the Northeast. It certainly is! Xeriscaping is really water-wise landscaping that take into the account of the principles and concepts to creating landscapes that uses less water. "Xeriscape" was orginally termed by the Denver Water Departement in  the 80s, in efforts to conserve water during a drought at the time in the western US. Massachusetts recently experienced a drought and several areas are currently subjected to regional drought status, so creating a water-wise garden is a must. A water-wise garden can reduce water use by as much as 50% in the summer. This can be accomplished by grouping plants according to water needs. High water use areas (which you should limit to only 10% of the landscape) require frequent watering and are typically small beds of annuals such as tassel-flowers and petunias. Moderate water use areas (about 20% of your garden) need occasional watering and include perennials and small shrubs. Low water use (60 – 70% of the landscape) such as established trees and shrubs are watered by Mother Nature. Learn as much as you can about environmentally friendly garden practices from UMass Extension's Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program. If you'd like more information on xeriscaping, check out Massachusetts Master Gardner Association's handy, informative fact sheet on xeriscapes. 

Reference: 
UMass Extension. Xeriscaping in Massachusetts. https://ag.umass.edu/