I'm in coastal Los Angeles, zone 10b, Sunset zone 24. Definitely drought resistant and low-water usage...but not an entire yard full of gravel and cacti, that's no fun for my dogs :-o

I can only speak for what works in Z8b Central Texas. How deep is your shade. I have shade under live oaks and I characterize it as Bright shade. Salvia roemeriana grows in shade and seeds out to form a ground cover. Silver poneyfoot takes part shade. Wandering jew will take some pretty deep shade. oxalis comes in some interesting variations. This might be a question for the California form.

Here are two listed at Annies annuals:

Cuphea faff. aequipetala

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=3259

Woodland strawberry ( Fragaria vesca ssp. californica)

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=2735

(likely a creeping perennial)

==>>> key word in that.. or letter is ... A ...

NEVER rely on one plant .. ever ...

the only real way.. to find ONE plant .. is to plant a mess of different kinds... and find out.. which will thrive in your courted micro climate ... so take all the recommendations.. and wing it .. there is no definitive answer ... and you will probably end up enjoying the variation ...

having owned a golden.. your biggest problem.. will probably be... getting them to not dig them up.. to find out what you put under them .. rather large golden squirrels .. lol ... so figure out.. how to protect them.. long enough to get going ... though once established.. you should be all set ....

BTW ... many of the ground cover are aggressive flowerers ... which will attract bees ... which my old golden.. used to enjoy eating.. really.. what was that all about .... though usually.. the flower season is rather short.. a week or two ... but they can make it difficult to walk in your court yard.. for that period ...

ken

Lysimachia nummularia (Creeping Jenny) is a creeping, rampant low growing ground cover that will take sun or part shade, it grows well in bright shade. It roots as it travels and can be invasive but thats the definition of a ground cover isn't it? 'Aurea' is almost yellow and will brighten shady areas. It would look good mixed with hostas and other shade plants. You could mix in some Dichondra-argentia (Silver Pony) for silver areas creating a tapestry effect and variety. Blue Fescue is another that takes quite a bit of shade. Mondo Grass is low growing, makes thick little tussocks and has varieties either green or black. Sedges come in many different varieties, there are many different types suitable for different parts of the country.

All of these are low growing.

Creeping jenny might be a little bit of a water hog but if you are coastal, your will be cooler and it might work since the evaporative loss might be less than here in Texas.. It grew it successfully in a clay based loam in shade inAustin with once a week maybe twice a week light watering. Carex glauca is a shade liking grey leafed sedge. John Greenlee "American Meadow Garden" describes many sedges that would work in California. He is based in California.

I was reading that there is a down side for a total switch to "gravel gardening" and that is that many of the trees that we depend on in the urban landscape are dependent on this massive lawn watering. Many of the trees have shallow root systems instead of deep ones. Switching to purely gravel gardening will endanger the the more susceptible of these trees. Be aware of the needs of the trees or plant some more xeric trees that will slowly replace them. Your shade might become sunshine. I think your tactic of using more xeric plants is good.

Dichondra is a very low growing, lily-pad leaved ground cover that does very well in shade. Tolerates foot traffic after established, needs no mowing. Really lovely, imho. Loves zone 10.

I have two friends with large golden retrievers who have both opted for the artificial grass route. True, I was scathing and unimpressed but they, and most importantly, their dogs, actually love it. They roll about, peeing with abandon (a handy hose is kept nearby) and the 'grass' does actually have some movement and tactility (unlike those hard all-weather surfaces I was forced to endure winter hockey playing). Whilst I went with the raised beds and hard standing route, I am prepared to eat my words that this artificial stuff has come on in leaps and bounds and does frame their borders rather well.

Ugh! The very idea gives me the creeps. Not being a dog person however, don't go by me and this puts me into yet another tiny minority because I think I am the only person in this whole state that doesn't have one or several of them. Can't you just see a dog in my landscape? I guess fake grass beats a dog run or a backyard that is packed down mud. Now if I had a prairie, I'd love having a Prairie Dog Town.

Butting in from NM where drought is a normal condition. Have you considered planting buffalo grass? We replaced the bluegrass lawn with buffalo grass 3 years ago. It's native to the arid west, has roots that supposedly go up to 20 feet down, and will lie dormant in periods of extreme drought, only to start growing again when it rains. It needs 10" rain a year to grow, unlike the 40" needed for bluegrass.

After putting in the plugs, we have done absolutely nothing. We don't get rain until June so the lawn stays brown like all the natural landscape here. You can water it and make it green up - one of my friends does this. We never have to cut it because natural height is about 3" max. It will stand up to light foot traffic, though you should stay off it the first year.

Cheryl, who is still trying to get used to houzz