Why not landscape with natives? You'll find wild areas that are about to be developed that you can rescue plants from and move them to your property. They're used to rugged conditions so they survive.
We did this for a bank we had down front by the mailbox. It was too steep to hold mulch and we didn't want grass, so we moved a bunch of plants from a field before it was leveled and turned it into a Butterfly Garden. Then we certified it with MonarchWatch.org to be a Monarch Waystation. A really fun and rewarding project.
http://www.thenatureinus.com/2008/03/your-weeds-may-be-wildflowers.html
You could also do a rock garden if rocks are plentiful in your area and planting there will be maintenance free. More info on rock gardening:
landscaping.about.com/cs/designexamples1/a/rock_garden.htm
Here's a tutorial with photos:
landscaping.about.com/od/rockgardens/ss/rock_gardens.htm